Wouldn’t every weatherperson love to be able to predict the weather as easily as Jesus says today? But we don’t always adhere to those obvious signs. Several years ago while visiting our family farm in Montana during harvest, my brother and I got caught in a dangerous electrical storm while careening around coulees in a side-by-side four-wheeler. We saw the clouds to the west but failed to gauge the swiftness of the winds. Our agenda was to ascertain if these fields were ready to cut, so our eyes were fixed on the ground, not on the skies. Bolts of lightning stabbed the earth right next to us as we ran to the truck. You could smell the sizzle.
Maybe that is why we fail to attend to conflicts or chasms, or our own misunderstandings or judgments like we should. We are looking down rather than looking up. I mean really looking up. Is Jesus telling us to turn our faces toward the heavens? Is he challenging us to look squarely at the breaks, tears, and troubles that indicate brokenness all around us— both in ourselves and in others? Perhaps Jesus is saying, “Stop. Notice. Deal with these struggles kindly and firmly.” Surely, deep down inside, we know what is right.
Maybe we are called to turn our faces toward a loving God and learn how to respond rather than run. The court of forgiveness, humility, honesty, and healing is a much more trustworthy place to bring our injuries and struggles. Do it before it impales you. Watch for lightning. Act.
