When I’m hungry, all I want is food.
When I’m tired, all I want is sleep.
When I’m in dire need of a bathroom, all I want is exactly that.
When we have our minds set on what we selfishly want (and granted we do NEED food, sleep, and bathrooms), we have a tendency to push aside potential “God ordained” moments that He desires to have happen.
For real, if I’ve got my mind set on something: IT’S GONNA HAPPEN. Nothing’s going to stop me.
But then along came Wonder who threw me for a loop and changed all my future plans:
But before we get to that, let’s take a look at my man JC in the Gospels about how HE viewed one particular interruption:
In Luke 8:40-56, is a freaking awesome story about a man who fell at Jesus’ feet at the synagogue. He pleaded with Jesus to come to his house because his 12 year old daughter was dying.
JC becomes a man on a mission, on the way to this dude’s house to see his dying daughter when, all of a sudden, the crowds begin becoming so thick around him to the point where the crowds almost crushed him. BUT THEN…
“Who touched me?”
“Dude…JC….you’re in a crowd of people, of course someone touched you! A bunch of people have been!” ~ What I would’ve said if I were one of the disciples.
“Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me” ~ Jesus
A woman who has had an issue of bleeding for 12 years had touched just the edge of his cloak. She had faith that He was who He said He was. When He asked who touched her, she fell at his feet and explained why she did this.
2 THINGS!
#1: The man at the synagogue interrupted Jesus first. People were welcoming him, greeting him, offering him coffee and donuts as we do, and then this fella falls at his feet, pleading with him to do this one thing. Jesus agrees and goes with the flow. Maybe JC was supposed to preach? Maybe He was supposed to lead worship? ( J ) But He changes whatever plans He had to go to this 12 year old girl.
#2. Jesus gets interrupted by this woman touching His cloak. He could have ignored her and carried on her own way. After all, she knew that she was healed the moment she touched his cloak! But Jesus stopped for her. He looked at her. He called her a daughter and affirmed her. He let her know that He truly saw her where she was and she could be free from sickness.
HOORAY!
So Jesus welcomed the ‘interruption’, and everyone lived happily ever after, right?!
WELL……..
“HEY JC! Glad you’re having a good time over there healing people, but haven’t you forgotten that little girl? Well…now she’s dead!”
Dang….
I can’t imagine being asked to be somewhere to help an urgent need, not going right away, and then finding out horrible news because you weren’t there.
BUT THIS IS JESUS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
“Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed” ~ Jesus (like a boss)
And in traditional Jesus fashion, He makes it to the house, calls to the dead girl and says, “My child, get up!” In that moment, her spirit returned and she stood up!
Nothing is impossible for Jesus and no ‘interruption’ was ever unwelcomed.
If anything, the interruption of the woman with the bleeding paved the way for an even greater miracle of God to go down!
He could’ve carried on and stuck to himself at the synagogue, too tired to help anyone, but then:
The woman would still be sick, the child would be dead, the father would feel defeated, and no one who had been there for either miracle would’ve had that insane burst of hope and faith placed in Jesus in those moments either. Countless lives were touched in welcoming these two interruptions.
SO NOW:
Let me tell you about Wonder…
One of our favorite past times in Malawi was walking into town for groceries. If we needed daily food (such as bread and eggs), we NEEDED to walk a good 15 minute mile down the mountain and into town. Josh and I would make the most of these walks by saying ‘what’s up’ to everyone we passed by and use it as some productive spiritual/personal growth time. (IRON SHARPES IRON ALL DAY!)
After being asked to join a party with a couple of different locals, we finally made it into town where a big football game was going down. We stopped to take in the action when this very loud, boisterous fellow got up in our personal space.
He wanted to say hi (clearly intoxicated) and invited us to the same party, previously mentioned. In the midst of whatever in the world his was saying, I heard the word “poetry”.
“I’m a poet!” I told him.
“Me too! Let me share with you this one”
He shared a poem entitled, “Hope” and then put me on the spot to share something I’ve written.
“Dude, I just want to check out this football match right now and then get some bread because I’m a hungry hungry hippo” ~ What I thought about saying.
Instead I shared with him a poem I’ve performed back in the day during a lot of my old skateboard demos about how of all the things I’ve done or looked for to find meaning in, everything has left me empty, except for God.
“THAT…….THAT…WAS THE **CENSORED** BEST!” (totally the reaction haha)
He goes on to say how after I finished reciting it to him, he began to feel something different inside of him. Something good.
I explained how everything I ever write, is all about Jesus and what He’s done in my life.
“That good thing you’re feeling? That’s Jesus.”
We told him where we were staying and that maybe we’ll stop by the party if we had time (but we didn’t).
We parted ways, wrote it off as a cool, random occurrence for the day, bought our food, and carried on with the rest of the day, not expecting to bump into this random drunk dude on the street….
BUT WE WERE WRONG
That night during our Team Time, our team met in the lounge area of our home. It was “D-Shaturday” (my night to lead, hence the name) and I decided to read a spoken-word that I wrote a 2 weeks prior in Vietnam.
I began reading and about half way through, I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw a figure sit down on the mat we were all having Team Time on. I kept reading and thought nothing of it. When I finished, I looked up at the team and then over to the figure who sat down.
Of all people, of all places, during this time at night, who just happened to find us?
What’s this random dude doing up here? That was the thought, easily, going through all of our heads.
He started to share with us his reasoning for coming up there that night, and again acknowledged this “good feeling I am feeling as you read that”.
He wanted to find that “good feeling” he felt earlier and see what we had to say.
When I addressed again that it is strictly Jesus that is making him feel so good as I read, he gave me a request, with such a look in his eyes that I will NEVER forget:
“LOOK ME IN THE EYES AND TELL ME…
TELL ME THAT JESUS LOVES ME”
“Dude…Jesus loves you…and He has NEVER forgotten you”
This led to Wonder sharing his whole story:
Why he decided to try to find the answers to his problems at the bottom of a bottle.
How his girlfriend left him for his younger brother.
How he hates his younger brother.
How he feels far from God.
If God truly forgives.
My mind went to the story of Jesus I shared in the beginning. I totally blocked out the fact that we were having Team Time. This wasn’t about Team Time anymore and just having a good team bonding experience.
This is about a person.
This is about a life.
This is about that one sheep who walked away from the 99.
And we are called to be like the shepherd who goes after the one, ESPECIALLY when it “interrupts” us!
Josh and I spent a solid two hours with Wonder that night, affirming him and listening to him.
Finally we asked him:
“Wonder, do you want Jesus to come and give you a fresh start? Do you want that “good feeling” all the time?”
“Yes”
We invited him to pray his own prayer to God. I asked him to talk freely with God about what’s REALLY on YOUR heart and ask Him what you really want to ask him.
He prayed the greatest, most humble, sincere prayer of a man who’s heart was being moved by the Holy Spirit that I’ve heard.
We prayed after and I immediately began crying over this beloved son whom earlier we had seen as some crazy drunk guy. Tears streamed down my face while we asked God to pour out His love on His son.
Forgiveness immediately came into Wonder and began to pour out of him! He urged us to get ahold of his brother and tell him: “We’re okay”. Hate was immediately taken away!
That was the start of something beautiful.
Since that night, Wonder would meander his way up the mountain to hang out with us, worship with us, cook with us, and even have church with us. He would tell every one of his friends about how Jesus was changing him, and these people he had met had helped change his life.
He even brought another friend up there who asked to rededicate his life to Jesus as well, one week later!
Wonder may not have always walked perfect after that night, but his heart always yearned for something deeper.
A truth about himself.
A “good feeling”
A comfort in His creator.
He had all but blocked it out, until he happened upon a couple of radical American dudes.
Our team helped show him what family meant in the Kingdom of God.
That one life, is telling multiple lives now about Jesus.
The night we met him, God put on my heart, something I had written in Thailand. It would later become obvious, I had written this poem precisely FOR HIM.
I renamed the poem and read it to him and said “Wonder, pretend this is Jesus speaking directly to you.” And this is what it said:
Dear Wonder
I am the breath in your lungs
I am the words on the tips of your tongues
The songs you’ve sung
I am among you
Dwelling inside
And right by your side
I go before you
And long after
I’m dwelling in the basement
And up in the rafters
I’m in your tears and in your laughter
When you round third base
Go to outer space
I am in this place
That place inside your chest
Is my favorite place to rest
You can never outrun
No sin that can’t be undone
Gauged ears or tattoos
Take my hand, you’ll never lose
I’ll tie your shoes
Teaching you to watch my feet
Model after me
A beutiful depiction
Displaying my reflection
No hint of detection of the sin within
Toss it to the wind
You can wrestle me
Ultimately youre gonna get pinned
You won’t find me in your lust for money
I’m heading to the land of milk and honey
Put down your bottle, drinking down death
Let me fill you, with one deep breath
Open your hands, in hopes to receive
Follow me if you truly believe
Let your love be patient, be it oh so kind
Loving me with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind
I handwrote this out the next morning. I found a pocket bible in my backpack, highlighting all the verses I have highlighted in my own bible. Placed the poem inside and gave them to him on our next encounter.
He read that Bible every morning.
And He keeps the poem in his pocket at all times.
Reading it every day.
We could have easily written him off and kept to our personal agenda. But instead we welcomed him. Because Jesus never turned down the ‘interruption’.
What blessing do we deprive of someone when we are too focused on our own plans?
What miracles do we miss out on?
What future ambassadors of Christ will be uninitiated?
When people ask me about Malawi, the first thing I will always think about from this day forth:
WONDER
