When we finally arrived to Aquatic Park, I could not be more glad to sit my bum down on those cold, sandy stone steps. The kids finished eating up their gyros and playing in the sand, and my coworker and I led them in a debrief.
I asked them how they saw God moving that day. I asked them what made them sad. (Often times the world glazes over these things as if we were machines.)
Then my coworker lead the last half of the conversation with a mini sermon from Acts 3.
True story: This beggar dude that everybody passes by asks Peter and John for some money. Peter gazes at him, and says “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” The dude leaps up and begins to walk and leaves praising God.
At the end of the lesson, the kids gathered their things and headed excitedly toward Ghiradelli Square for some world famous hot fudge sundaes.
My coworker and I sat for a minute longer, overlooking the water on those cold stone steps.
Not but 75 feet off the shore, I spotted a row boat. In it were eight men paddling in unison, one man standing directing them from the bow.
Out of my mouth came these words: “Jesus?” …Oh my heart! Imagine if that were Him!!! “What would we do? Shout His name? Run out and swim to Him as fast as possible?”
Tears welled up. They are now.
Oh how close our Savior is! At His very name, we experience love. Though we cannot see Him, we know He exists and is drawing us to Him.
To be united with and touched by Him is the greatest pleasure of all.
Thinking back, as my gaze became fixed on the person in that rowboat I longed for to be Jesus, I forgot about those cold stone steps and the bit of tiredness I felt from serving during the day. My gazed had become fixed, instead, on love.
And in love, we rose up, and me and my coworker began to walk, praising God.
