“BE SURE OF THIS: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Jesus – Matthew 28:20 NLT

It was my youngest daughters birthday and at the last minute she called to invite my wife and I to join her family for dinner. The place she was selected was a Japanese Steakhouse. You know… the one with the Hibachi grill? Even as we got out of the car to meet them I heard it… “Yes Coast.. BIG Fire…WHOOSH! But don’t worry, it won’t hurt you!” Their son, Coast, is almost 2!

I was the father of little kids and knew the drill. So I immediately chimed in… “First we CHOP CHOP!” Then we WHOOSH WHOOSH! Then we EAT EAT! Then we say YUM YUMMMMMMM!” By the time we hit the door he was saying it along with me and adding the hand gestures we had created together. As the flashy event got closer… we all built up the event in anticipation that he was anticipating it WITH us…. It didn’t work!

WHOOOOOOOOSH happened!!!! And he immediately he closed his eyes and started to whimper. He TRIED to be tough. But the event was just too much for his little heart. My wife leaned in close and he leaned in closer, putting his head on her chest… “no no no no no,” was all he could say. WE knew Coast would be alright… but HE didn’t! Ever been there?

The promise in today’s Bible verse is repeated several times in both the Old AND New Testaments. There are 365 ‘Fear NOT’s’ in the Bible.. seemingly one for each day of the year. And why? Because our Creator KNOWS we WILL BE VERY much AFRAID… VERY often! He wants to reassure us that His promise is rock solid. That through every WHOOSH, SLAM, CRASH and BAM… He WILL be RIGHT THERE WITH us. All we need to do is lean in!

There will come a day when Coast will SHINE in the light of the flash. One day he will anticipate and laugh at the WHOOSH! But until then…those who love him will keep telling him… “it will be O.K, we are here with you! Don’t be afraid!” But I can’t help thinking… as adults… do WE really pay attention to the voice of our Savior at the WHOOSHES in our lives? Do WE LEAN into Him for comfort and encouragement in our fears and tears? He wants us to!

God loves you and me SO much that He sent His Son. And His Son loves you and me SO much that He ACCEPTED the assignment. Facing and enduring the sorrows and pain that it would take to win our hearts, you and I have the choice to ‘lean in and trust,’ or ‘fear and flee.’ My initial reaction at the WHOOSH shows Him the inclination of my heart. Today He is encouraging us to Trust Him… will we? Because ‘WHOOSH is COMIN!’

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own?” Jesus – Matthew 7:3

This morning I was on my way to the coffee pot to pour my wife and I a cup…. He-Brews! After filling her cup, I heard her holler ‘OUCH!’ Turning around, I saw her lying on the floor holding her ankle. “What happened?” I asked.. silence. Drawing closer with concern I asked, “are you alright?” Before my very eyes her painfully contorted face turned into a devilish grin as she said.. “April Fools!” I am married to the devil!

Normally I like April 1^st. As is the birthday of my youngest daughter. We laugh now as we tell the story about her birth. Being our fourth child, all who were delivered naturally, my wife was ready to push when the nurse hollered…”STOP!” It had just been discovered she was breech! That means ‘about to come our butt first!’ After 20 minutes of no joke, pant-blows, no drugs and prayer, my wife delivered her that way… BACKWARDS!  I do think it affected her brain though! I see it every April 1^st.  This morning my wife suggested we call and sing “We wish you a Merry Christmas to my daughter!” We did!

I do not like April Fools Day for the same reason I never liked the Three Stooges or Slapstick comedy. Laughing at someone else’s misfortune or pain just isn’t in me. Inflicting pain or confusion on purpose… confuses me. Having experienced so much of it in my life, I don’t get the joke. Neither did Jesus.

Teachers of the Law during Jesus Day were folks who felt it their obligation to point out the bad things in peoples lives. Jesus came and pointed out that those who THOUGHT they were better, were actually WORSE. Foolish judgment had a way of biting the judge because they really did NOT see the error of their ways. “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:22. I cringe at the thought in my own life!

The basic principle of The Christian Life is VERY simple… but EXTREMELY difficult. To become a Christian one must FIRST admit that they are a sinner deserving of God’s wrath! And while that sounds like a joke to the world, it is a deadly serious transaction. Once we admit our failure, we then ask and receive God’s Mercy and Grace. From then on, we are to commit to doing HIS thing and NOT our own! NOT an easy task.

In all of the Gospels, I do not see anywhere where Jesus told a joke or laughed. While that doesn’t mean He didn’t, we can be sure it was not a dominant part of His personality. Though allowing loud mouthed Peter to step out on the stormy waves may qualify, that one seems more of an inside joke! Peter’s inflated ego needed a little deflating after all! Christianity is VERY serious and I am pretty sure that Jesus would be playing April Fools jokes on us today. Too much confusion, which the Bible says God is NOT the author of!

I had to pause in this writing this because my wife hollered that her car would not start. When I got to the garage.. well… you know! She just laughed all the way out! I’ll be glad when this day is over!