Remember the story of Peter at the mount of transfiguration? Overcome in the moment he offered to make shelters for Moses and Elijah. The author, Luke, said, He did not know what he was saying.
I’m afraid that footnote has been added to my life several times too: She had no idea what she was doing.
Like Peter, I tend to be a little jump in head first without looking, a little eyes are bigger than my stomach, and a lot of worry about the details later. Many have watched me make some big decisions in my life and asked, “Does she know what she’s getting herself into?” Also, like Peter this hastiness has gotten me into trouble at times. Flat tires in the middle of nowhere, few hours of sleep because of spurts of late night creativity, jobs that really weren’t done right because I just wanted to get it done today instead of waiting for the right materials and tools, running a half marathon after only a week of training…these are just to name a few. Peter and I, we’re cut from the same fabric.
People like us often get into some tough situations because we haven’t taken time to talk ourselves out of some bad ideas. When it comes to our human notions like, these men who just came down from heaven need me to build them some housing, it is wise to hold our tongue and think things through. There are situations, however, when thinking things through can hold us back from some of life’s greatest adventures. Peter was the only disciple after all, who stepped out of the boat to walk with Jesus. If Jesus says come, there’s no reason for me to weigh my options…it’s time to step out of the boat!
I often think that those who have been called to adopt have to have a little of Peter’s mindset. Adoption is, if course, a calling to step out on a lot of unknowns. Many questions that can’t be answered, issues that can’t be predicted, finances that have to come from somewhere other than a meager bank account…a planner’s nightmare. BUT, for those of us that love Jesus more than life, when we hear him say come, we put our time table and pros and cons chart aside and we say Yes, Lord!
So, even if you have a few footnotes in your life that say, She had no idea what she was doing, let them be times that you weren’t choosing your best options based on your knowledge. Let these notes be times when you heard Jesus say come and you didn’t look back.
