What's the Catch?

“Good afternoon, sir!  Would you like a free can of soda or bottle of water?”

The young man looked at me incredulously as I waved at him, standing beside a large cooler with a can of soda in my hand.

“What?  You’re giving it out for free?  What’s the catch?”

“Oh, no catch at all.  It’s a hot summer afternoon, and some of us at our church just want to show God’s love by giving out cold drinks.  Would you like one?”

The man wasn’t too easily convinced, but he eventually walked off with a can of soda, a little confused, and surprised that I didn’t try to talk to him about Jesus or ask for money.

This happened many years ago during the summer, when I attended a church retreat near San Diego, California.  The speaker exhorted us to show love and compassion for our community through service, and as an exercise, he led us to a busy shopping center, with cold drinks in tow, ready to be given out to thirsty shoppers.  The beverage containers were attached with small tags written with Bible verses and words of blessing, but we were informed to simply give the drinks away, without any condition.  Some of the shoppers happily took the drinks, but many others were much more skeptical, and a few even insisted in giving us tips or donations, which we politely declined.  We couldn’t possibly be just giving the drinks away, right?

We have long been taught to believe the expression, “there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”.  In other words, what seems free often has a cost attached to it.  This is often true in science (as in the laws of thermodynamics), in business, and in relationships.  I recently visited the local Dunkin’ Donuts store on National Donut Day (yes, there is a story behind this, celebrated on the first Friday of June in the United States), to see whether the store was giving away free donuts.  I came out with my free donut, but the donut was only free if I purchased a beverage, a cup of coffee that cost me $2.50.  Dunkin’ Donuts was going to get my money, one way or another.

This notion of “no free lunch” is often seen in our views of religion as well.  Many of us believe that in order to go to Heaven, we need to be good, and do good things.  We need to go to church, put money in the offering plate, not say bad words, and be nice to others, otherwise God will be unhappy with us and will send us to Hell.  However, while it is true that Christians indeed do all these things, eternal life in Heaven is actually free:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 6:23)

Going to church cannot save us, and doing good works won’t get us into Heaven.  Eternal life is a free gift – only God can give it, and we are asked to receive it.  Changes that happen to those of us who believe in Jesus is the consequence of our belief, not the condition for our faith.  We give in joy and in obedience because we have received first.  This gift of God is free, but it is not cheap.  Jesus already paid the price for it with His blood.

Well-Watered Hillsides

California is nicknamed The Golden State, apparently for multiple reasons.  The golden poppy is the official state flower, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is instantly recognizable worldwide, and there was a gold rush here in 1849.  While never actually confirmed, I was once told that California was also called the Golden State because much of the land looks yellow most of the year, colored by the dried up vegetation that covers the landscape.  Having lived in Southern California, where it often does not rain for 6 straight months or more, the images of yellow, tinder-covered foothills that get set ablaze during the hot summer months are all too familiar, especially during the most recent period of extended drought that lasted from 2011 to 2017.  The drought in California was eventually declared over in early 2017, thanks to torrents of heavy winter precipitation, and this brought forth the most unusual transformation to the Southern California landscape.  The dried yellow-brown hillsides have been replaced with carpets of green, awash with beautiful wildflowers in various shades of yellow, orange, white and purple.  My daughter and I have taken literally thousands of photographs at local state parks, nature trails and flower fields.

However, I know that this transformation of color is short-lived.  There hasn’t been much rain for the last 3 months.  The vegetation will be yellow again in a few weeks, and the late summer heat will bring forth blazing brushfires that will soon consume many hills until rain returns in the winter.

Just as the plants and flowers of the hills need rain to grow, our spiritual condition requires regular nourishment and watering as well.  When we feel far away from God, we often say that we are spiritually “dry”.  David expressed his longing for God as a consuming thirst for Him:

As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?  (Psalm 42:1-2)

We become spiritually dry when we are separated from God, our creator, and the source of meaning for our existence.  Nothing separates us from God quicker than unconfessed sin in our lives:

Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
but your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear.  (Isaiah 59:1-2)

On the other hand, he who walks in obedience to God’s ways are described as a well-watered tree:

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.  (Psalm 1:1-3)

How are we doing?  Are we like well-watered plants, thriving, flowering and fruitful, or are we parched and lifeless?  We do well to examine ourselves to see whether sin is keeping spiritual nourishment from our lives.  If we continue to do what displeases God, even if we seem to thriving, it won’t be long before the soil beneath us dries up.

Separated But Not Disowned

"Lisa, how are your parents?  Are they in good health?"

My wife started the conversation with our friend while we were carpooling to a fundraising event recently.  We talked about her parents' strong Christian faith and service, which came as little surprise, as Lisa, a physician, is herself a strong believer who lives out her faith through her love for others.  Our conversations drifted to Lisa's plans to take a short-term medical missions trip to Mexico, but within minutes we were sharing stories about our own children, as parents are wont to do.  We talked about the challenges of raising children in a Christian family, and my wife asked Lisa about her own childhood, assuming that her parents were Christian during her youth.

"Actually, my parents were Muslims...and they were so strict in their religion they almost killed me when I accidentally ate a piece of pork...it tasted sooooo good!"

It turned out that Lisa became a Christian in an austere Muslim household.  Her parents were so upset at her conversion, they seriously considered disowning her.  Being disowned would mean that she would have lost all ties, physical, financial, and perhaps emotional, to her parents.  Thankfully, they relented, and by God's grace, whatever thread of connection that remained allowed Lisa to restore their relationship, and she eventually became the instrument of their salvation.

Similarly, when Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, God could have disowned them completely.  Mankind could have been annihilated in an instant, and if somehow God allowed us to exist, we would have been eternally separated from God, to the point that we would have no connection with our Creator in any form.  Yet He chose to remain connected with us.  God had compassion on Adam and Eve, that He provided for them before they were driven from the Garden of Eden:

And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)

Mankind became separated from God, but not disconnected.  In subsequent generations, Cain and Abel presented offerings to the Lord, Enoch walked with the Lord, Noah found favor with God, and God called Abraham to become the father of nations.  God did not disown mankind, but continued to intersect with our lives throughout the generations of His people, until at the appointed time, He sent Jesus to fully restore our relationship with Himself.  We get to return to our heavenly Father, never to be separated again.  The thread of connection is God's word:

but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.  (John 20:31)

Getting Stuck in Deep Sand

"Yeah, but I read that it's easy to get stuck in the sand, and that it's really hard to get out..."

I listened in as my wife chatted with one of the local residents, after having second thoughts about her wonderful plan for us to hit the Oceano sand dunes the next day.  She had already paid a sizable deposit to reserve ATV (all-terrain vehicle) rides for the family, but she also read about possible dangers of vehicles getting stuck in the sand, collisions, and rollovers.  We were all ATV novices, and had never driven in sand dunes before.

"Oh, you'll get stuck in the sand a few times, but it's no big deal.  You'll probably have to push and move the thing to get it out.  If you keep throttling the engine, you'll get deeper in the sand, but only stupid people do that."

OK, I got this covered.  I wouldn't do anything stupid, I thought.  Unfortunately, it didn't take long before I did exactly what I wasn't supposed to do the next day.

After we received our mandatory safety briefing and instructions, I sat on a Honda 250 cc ATV, barely remembering how to throttle, brake and shift.  I figured that as long as I didn't kill the engine, I would somehow return intact after our two-hour rides.  I tried to act confident as I steered the vehicle out of the lot and into the dunes.  All was well, for about one minute.

I started to feel my right rear tire losing traction.  Somehow my right side ended up in very soft sand, and it was a matter of seconds before I realized that I was stuck.  Naw, that couldn't possibly happen, not barely a few hundred meters into the sand!  Perhaps I wasn't really stuck, I thought.  I hit the throttle.  I felt the right rear tire sinking deeper in.  OK, I was stupid.

Dozens of other vehicles passed me as I got out of my ATV, looking and feeling, uh...what is that word?  Fortunately, that feeling was transient as I managed to lift the back of the vehicle out of the soft sand, and after repositioning it on firmer ground, I managed to power the thing clear of the sand pit.  All was well again...except that my daughter also ended up stuck in the sand.  This would be a learning experience.

Many of us also tend to "be stupid" when we are mired in the sand as we cross through treacherous dunes in our journeys through life.  The soft sand traps are our bad habits, addictions, and dysfunctional situations in our work, relationships, and families.  Unfortunately, because of our own sinful inclinations, we find ourselves often digging ourselves in deeper the harder we try to drive ourselves out.  Change can only happen when we admit that we are stuck, be willing to get out of the cockpit, and resolve to point our vehicles in a new direction.

We need to repent.  We need to turn away from sin, for it is written,

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 6:23)

How do we turn away from sin and receive this free gift of God?  When Peter proclaimed the message of salvation to the multitudes, the first word he said was "repent":

And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  (Acts 2:38)

Hit the throttle.

Rocky Voyage

"Hey, Glenn, we're thinking about going to Green Island for the weekend.  It's just a quick boat ride from the harbor.  Want to join us?"

"Sounds like a lot of fun.  Sure!"

It was an autumn day in 1991.  I was on hiatus from medical school to participate in a 6 month short-term medical missions project in Taitung, Taiwan.  Some of the missionary doctors thought that it would be nice to spend the weekend at this local tourist spot, a small volcanic island about 21 miles offshore.  Although I grew up in Taiwan, it had been a while since I was there, and I forgot a minor detail about the local climatic patterns.

"By the way, there's supposed to be a typhoon that is approaching in a few days.  If the weather is too rough, we'll probably have to fly back instead."

As we waited for the boat in the harbor, one of the missionary doctors opened up a bottle of medication, and handed each person a tablet of meclizine, an anti-nausea medication, in case the waters got rough and we got seasick.  While swallowing the pill, I looked out and saw a man strutting in with a large family idol.  It was an elaborately carved and painted wooden figure that measured about 2-3 feet across and 2 feet high.  He mentioned something about the idol protecting the boat during the trip.  I guess he heard about the typhoon also.

The boat started to rock heavily as we entered deeper waters, and it didn't take long before many of the passengers started to look kind of miserable.  A young boy who sat in front of me cried in fear for the entire trip, but his parents were vomiting, and too sick to pay much attention.  A crew member staggered up and down the aisle passing out plastic bags.  This was normally a quick 45-minute ride, but our Gilligan's Island-type voyage proved to be more than twice as long, as strong winds slowed down our progress.  So much for protection from that big family idol.  The man with the large wooden figure was vomiting just as badly as everyone else.

It is folly to think that a block of carved wood would provide protection from bad weather.  The prophet Isaiah wrote about such idols made from wood, the same wood used also for making fire and cooking food,

From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says, "Save me! You are my god!"
They know nothing, they understand nothing;
  their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
  and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
"Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?"  (Isaiah 44 17:19)

God is not a block of wood that we carve with our own hands and carry around as a good-luck charm.  Trusting in it would be foolish, but trying to make the return trip by the same boat would be equally unwise.  We returned to Taitung by air the next morning, just as the local weather service sounded the typhoon warning.

Absolute Surrender

“Mr. Duh, here is the consent form for the surgery.  Please read it over to make sure that you don’t have any questions.”

I sat before an anesthesiologist to go through the pre-operative paperwork for my back surgery.  The event occurred nearly 20 years ago, but a few of the anesthesiologist’s words still echo in my head today.  I had been experiencing severe back pain and leg numbness from a slipped lumbar disc, and the neurosurgeon whom I saw recommended a fairly routine type of lower back surgery to correct the problem.  As I went through the various paperwork regarding the planned hospital admission and surgery, I signed them through fairly quickly, thinking that as a young physician myself, I knew all about these things.  True, I was a bit nervous because my wife Karen was about 6 months pregnant with our firstborn son at the time, and she occasionally expressed to me her anxiety about the “what ifs” of surgery and anesthesia, but I did my best to suppress whatever fear that attempted to surface at the time.

As I was about to sign the surgical consent form, the anesthesiologist looked at me seriously, and asked,

“You know that you can die from this procedure, right?”

I paused.  His candor was a bit unexpected and took me by surprise.  He was right - once I am put under anesthesia for the surgery, I would be completely powerless to do anything other than to completely entrust my life to the surgery team.  It would be absolute surrender.

This was a tall order, but it was not any more than what our Lord Jesus asked of his believers when he said to them,

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

Jesus demanded radical surrender from his disciples, to the point of living each day as if they were dead to the world.  To “take up his cross” practically means that we are to regard ourselves as dead to our own will, just as one who is bearing his cross is, for all practical purposes, dead.  However, Jesus did not simply demand it of us.  As the one and only Son of God, he uttered the ultimate words of submission and surrender on the eve of his crucifixion,

“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

I signed the surgical consent form.

If we desire God to transform our lives, we will also need to surrender our will to Him.  Absolutely.

Paternal Affection

"Hey Chris, hope you have everything you need for next week.  Give yourself a hug from me.  Love ya!"

I sent my son the above text message 3 days after my wife and I helped him to move into his college dorm room, shortly before his first day of classes at Indiana University.  I realized that Chris was probably too excited about moving out of the house and starting college to think about much else, but I wanted him to at least realize that his old man cared about him and was thinking of him.

My son did not respond that day, nor the next day.

On the third day, I sent him another message, knowing that it was his first day of school, and that he had an 8 a.m. music theory class:

"Congratulations on getting through your first theory class.  Hope things are going well."

He would have received the message about an hour and a half after the class, and I knew that he had 3 hours between classes that day.  Still no response from my son for the next several hours.

I started work that morning in a melancholic state, wondering whether my son and I were not merely physically separated by distance (nearly 2,000 miles between Los Angeles and Bloomington, Indiana), but that our hearts might also be rent by a great divide.  I longed for some acknowledgment from him, if only a simple "Yo!" or a smiley in response.  It was God's mercy and provision that I had a very busy day in the office, which supplied necessary distraction.  Thankfully, my son eventually responded later that day, and my mood was restored after a few minutes of messaging with him on the computer.

Just as I wished to communicate with my son during those days, God also desires to fellowship with us and commune with us, and created us in His image so that we can do so.  How often have we spent an entire day living under God's blessing, enjoying the goodness of his provision, guidance and protection, and respond with nary a thought of thanksgiving, living as if He does not matter and does not exist!  May we be eager to seek the Lord at the beginning of our days, as the psalmist wrote,

O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.  (Psalm 5:3)

But I will sing of your strength;
I will sing aloud of your steafast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
and a refuge in the day of my distress.  (Psalm 50:16)

May we seek our heavenly Father as Jesus did before the break of dawn,

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.  (Mark 1:35)

Lord, forgive me for failing to acknowledge you and not remembering you until the end of the day.  May I daily live under your presence, and realize that outside of you there is no good thing.