I am a practicalist.  (I don’t know if that’s even a proper word, but it seems to describe me quite well).

Life has to make sense…and if possible, I would like to have all the details ironed out before I take a single step forward in a new or different direction.

But the more I read my Bible, the more I realize…God’s ways are not only higher than my ways, they are also a lot less practical than my ways.

Think about it.

God had Elijah ask the poorest of widows for food. Why not ask someone who was in a better place financially? Wouldn’t that have made more practical sense?

And what about Moses. He hated public speaking…and who does God choose to lead a nation out of slavery? Moses. Not exactly the most practical candidate if you ask me.

And then there is a story which caught my attention this past week. It involves three sweet women heading towards the garden tomb.

You probably know the story. Jesus had been crucified, and His body was placed in a tomb. The Sabbath was finally over.

In Mark 16 we read, “Mary Magdalene, Mary (James’ mother) and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.”

As they were on their way to the tomb, the question was asked..

“Who will roll the stone away…”

Stone? What stone? Oh yeah, there is a heavy stone over the entrance of the tomb.

For these women, it was a passing statement.  For me,  it would have been an important detail to iron out before heading over to the tomb..

I can hear myself now.

‘Listen ladies. I think we should wait. After all, that stone is heavy. Why don’t we ask Peter, James and John to meet us there whenever they are free. They can help us move the stone.”

I literally would have talked myself (and the others) out of an encounter with God.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe we should prepare, count the cost, and know what we are getting ourselves into.  But sometimes, God doesn’t give us the details….on purpose. All we know is what God is asking us to do…and for a practicalist like myself…that’s scary!

My friend, James Mathews, encourages us to do it anyways.  “The cost of sitting still will haunt you later in life. Whisper a prayer and breathe into a paper bag if you must, but face your fears with action. Everyone will say ‘you can’t’. Until you do.”

And about that stone? God took care of it.  For the very next verse tells us, “But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.”

Maybe you are a practicalist like me…and maybe there is a “stone” blocking your way and holding you back from doing what God has asked you to do….and maybe that stone is fear.

Like the ladies heading towards the garden tomb, take a step and head in the direction God has asked you to go, “breathe into a paper bag if you must.”

Don’t talk your practical self out of an encounter with God.

-Binu

(Quote from James Mathews taken from The Nexus Initiative)