July 13th

Trumpet Time

How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?-But to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:11-12

It was so perfect. It couldn't have been more perfect, and I've never seen it anywhere close to that perfect again.

Back when I was in high school, I was way into surfing. I was so into surfing that I sacri-

ficed to save up money to go to Hawaii to surf with nine of my best buddies. When we finally went, we found one particular surfing spot. We paddled out and it was absolutely perfect.

Hardly anybody was there. We couldn't believe it. I mean, it was amazing. It was an outer break. Then after the outer break, it surfed into a mid break that connected to a shore break. It was absolutely awesome.

I've been back to Hawaii a number of times since and I've looked for that place, and I've never, ever found it again. I've even asked people who live in Hawaii about that particular spot that I got to surf on that day and they look at me like, No way. You actually surfed there? It's almost like if I didn't know it actually happened, I would think maybe I was dreaming. It was that perfect. It was that epic. It was that awesome. And it was that rare, because it's never happened again.

The problem with that surfing spot is that the conditions are very rarely right to be able to surf there. And I wonder if sometimes the same is true about our witness, if maybe our witness so rarely shows because the conditions just aren't right.

Maybe the timing isn't convenient. Maybe we're afraid of being rejected. Maybe we feel shame from things we know we shouldn't have done. Maybe we feel like those relationships are too broken to be a witness in them. Whatever it is, we feel that the conditions aren't right.

And maybe you're right that the conditions certainly aren't ideal. But there is one thing I know, and it's that Jesus told us to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

This means that we don't get to be fake. If our faith is real, then it comes out. No masks. No hiding. Just simply living out the light of who we are because of Jesus' work and presence in our lives. Our witness shouldn't depend on our conditions, because the only condition that matters is Jesus in our hearts.

Don't let your witness come around once in a lifetime. Instead, let the light of Jesus shine every day in everything you do.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You that Your presence and work in my life is what qualifies me to be a witness! I give myself over to Your work and presence in me completely. Help me to let my light shine!

Amen