Grind

Having never given much thought to it, the assumption was that it would always get easier. He'd been committed to a faith walk for more than 30 years and in all that time he'd never seen the challenges to his faith and subsequent behavior than he had experienced in the past 36 months. Like successive waves pounding on a strand of beach, he felt himself stronger, yet eroded at the same time. Wiser? Yes, beyond a doubt. Resolved? Perhaps, depending on what day you asked. Weary? Not only did he now have the understanding to not only identify his fatigue, he could easily articulate it. "Faith was demanding more and more of me," he would say resolutely.

Perhaps if we knew the deep demands of faith in the early days of our journey with God, we would not have the faith to step out in the first place. Yet, each young believer needs some sense of preparation; an awareness that while this journey may be "pleasant" for the moment, the fact of the matter is that it may get gruesome and rough. It may be a long-haul grind.

Jesus discussed something of the matter in Luke 12, encouraging His followers to "be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning" (12:35). This wasn't a matter of simply having a couple "d" cell batteries on hand. An oil and wick lamp took some effort in management. It was a labor but the reward was worthy of the effort as the master would return from a wedding banquet and "dressed to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night" (12:37-38).

Some are nocturnal by nature. But even by that time of the night, we've been working hard to keep those lamps burning. We're carrying extra oil and it feels like it is getting heavier, not lighter. We've maybe tucked away a spare wick or two and we've been working at trimming it just right for some time. The flame has been threatened by the wind, maybe we dozed off for a few minutes and spilled a little oil. Perhaps we even needed to bum a little flame from another servant after ours flickered out for a moment, but we're still hanging in there... waiting on the Master and the pending return.

So who is the "faithful" one? Sometimes we perceive them as the ones with no problems, with no evidence of the grind in their lives. We hold them up in high acclaim and expouse their "smoothe" journey and declare that everyone ought to be like them. If they have scars, they keep them well hidden. Their "d" cells never appear to be in short supply. They maintain much attention and acclaim... those in the grind wonder if their missing it in the long haul.

Jesus asked, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager" (12:42)? Doing the Master's will is tough business. Like keeping that lamp burning, a faithful servant will always expect the arrival of his master, even when the oil is down and the flame is wimpy. The faithful servant will keep distributing the Master's goods, even when they don't feel particularly good at it (and rarely feeling worthy are they, because they aren't worthy -- but they are of high worth).

Why the grind? Why for some the journey isn't just a curving path, but steeply up and down with occasional ice patches along the way just to keep things interesting? Why the grind? Because, as Jesus says, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked" (12:48).

Great faith comes at a price. It doesn't take much faith to rely on the "d" cell light. It doesn't take much faith to live like the Master isn't coming home from the wedding feast for a long, long time. It doesn't take much faith to make sure all the other servants are being fed at the proper time. But keeping the lamp trimmed, the servants fed and one eye out for the Master is a grind... and don't let anyone tell you differently. This isn't an "easy" journey. The road to destruction is wide and well paved. This path is tight...

Watch your footing and buck up for the grind. There is a reason it is hard for you, you've been given much faith and to whom much is given, much will be required and for those who've been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Take heart, deliverance may arrive when you least expect it... like a master coming home early from a party and then everything will clearly be worth the grind.

It's all good.