No Rehearsal, Just Wing It!

Good morning on Thursday of this not-so-autumnish week! If the weather prognosticators are correct though, it would seem that autumn begins next Monday. A few weeks ago, I heard a song lyric from an odd source that really hit the ol' nail: "Life's a song you don't get to rehearse." Yes, that seems to sum it up rather well. No rehearsal for this life, you and me gotta wing it as we go. Indeed, we look to our elders as a source of wisdom because we hope they have been exactly where we are now. To some degree that is true, but no one was ever exactly where you or I am right now. They may have faced similar situations, but the very fact that it was them then, and not you or I, puts the exact part of it out of reach. We can receive advice, but there are so many answers we may not hear the one we need in that moment of decision. And, of course, there's always the situation that occurs without an elder in sight when you need one.

We are all like actors tossed out on stage without a script or even one rehearsal. We have some idea of what we are supposed to be doing, but only the bars on our crib hold the big, scary world at bay. Is it any wonder we cried so much as babies? Strangely to us, those who do everything right the first time are most to be pitied. How will they ever learn their need for salvation? The self-righteous persons back in the day wouldn't come to Jesus to be saved. The stumblers, bumblers, and fumblers came to be saved and healed, just as we do today. If you have ever sought Jesus in a church, a friend, a devotional writing, or a song, you probably didn't do so because you knew beyond any doubt that you were already perfect. Nope, a past littered with mistakes and heartbreak brought you seeking the one who can save us all. Physical pain, emotional ache, loss, and failure are those things that keep us searching until we find the Savior...only to realize that He had found us all along.

Jesus does have a certain advantage in knowing all His sheep. While we search, Jesus waits for us to turn from our wicked ways and ask Him to save us. That's it, just ask? Well, yes, but without that rehearsal, it's just something we have to discover in our searching. Praise God for sending the Shepherd before the sheep-ers knew to look for Him!

Bucky