Scripture: Mark 10:46-52
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
Reflection Questions:
Where do you find yourself in need of sight, understanding, and healing? How do you cry out to God for help? When have you experienced God’s response?
Five-minute Story:
It started out to be a gorgeous day. A few wispy and faint clouds filled the blue summer sky. Noah and I were out fishing in our boat on Prior Lake. It didn’t matter that the fish were not visiting our hooks. The day made up for the lack of catch.
We were a reasonable distance from the public boat launch when we heard the distant rumble. At first, it wasn’t a concern as much as a curiosity. I wonder if we might be getting a little rain later on today. Our attitude and mood would change as quickly as the weather. Within minutes, we saw the lightning and the dark, ominous clouds. Time to head back to shore and get the aluminum boat out of the water. Quick!
After pulling up our fishing lines, I started the old Mercury outboard motor and opened up the throttle. The rowboat began to bounce hard on the waves which seemed to all of a sudden become choppy. Bounce. Bang. We were chasing a storm as we saw bolts of lightning getting closer all the while.
The music that the motor was making as we zipped across the water was not pretty. A high whine that was punctuated with the hard slap of the hull on the agitated surf. Worry was now a part of the picture. Prior Lake is a sizable body of water and we were still out in the middle of it. The storm was beating us in the race to the land. I leaned forward; my arm extended backward. With a white-knuckle grasp on the motor’s tiller, I steered the boat toward the distant destination.
Just then, the strangest thing happened. Looking forward I didn’t see what happened, I felt it. All of a sudden, my hand that was gripping tightly to the tiller rose as if an unseen force had taken hold and lifted me up and down. I looked back only to witness with disbelief a horrible sight. The outboard motor was no longer attached to the boat!
All forward progress stopped abruptly. The only thing preventing Mercury from sinking to the bottom of the deep lake was my one-hand hold. Although it was submerged, the motor was still working. Without thought, I pushed the shut-off button and turned around to grasp the sinking motor with my other hand. Noad rushed to my aid and with adrenaline-aided strength, we managed to haul the drenched motor on board. Our fortune of not losing Mercury was interrupted by the next clasp of thunder.
Frantically, I put the oars in place and began to row. It seemed to be a futile task amid the strong waves and adverse wind. I felt like I was in a reenactment of the Bible story of Jesus and his disciples caught in a storm. Instead of a bearded rabbi asleep in the bow of the boat, I had an arms-waving teenager who was trying to get the attention of the other boats that were racing back to shore. Though Noah wasn’t able to calm the storm, he did hail help. Thanks to the generosity of a stranger, we got a tow to shore about the time the storm moved in overhead.
Whew!
As I look back, the experience makes me laugh. I’m sure Noah will long remember the day we almost lost our motor overboard. I also feel lucky to have had it all turn out the way that it did. It could have turned out bad in a few significant ways. I’m thankful that we got home safely with all fingers and toes - and with our motor that went overboard!