Man, wouldn’t that just be a bummer.  I mean, you plan all year, maybe even years, for the vacation of a life time.  Blue water, seven course meals, Pina Coladas by the pool, maybe even a little snorkeling among the reefs, and then what … your ship loses power?  Now toilets don’t work, the pool is off limits, and fine dining is reduced to SPAM sandwiches.  The media is calling it the cruse from hell. Even Carnival admitted that conditions aboard their 3200 passenger Splendor were ‘very challenging’. And then there was the poor fella who got on the boat despite repeated protests from his wife because she just didn’t feel good about the cruise.  Imagine living that one down. It’s just not right.  Cruises are supposed to be fun … isn’t that what Carnival calls their boats, the fun-ships?  The passenger’s frustration is definitely justified, and I hope Carnival can make it up to them somehow.

Unfortunately, a lot of us living the American Dream are under the impression that life is a giant vacation cruise.  The feeling is that our days should regularly be filled with sun, surf and sushi. We have replaced our right to the pursuit of happiness with an expectation of continual happiness.  And so when the inevitable fire breaks out in the engine room and we are forced to make the best of a less than desirable situation … well you can understand why frustration and disillusionment have become common break room topics.

Of course, it is all a matter of perspective.  Jesus was actually very concerned that we understood exactly what it was he was inviting us into, and so as he prepared his first twelve recruits to walk out into the world on a training mission of sorts, he warns them in Matthew 10:34.  “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”  Jesus, the greatest of all leaders, understood that you can’t sweet talk a man into battle.  You dare not sugar coat the truth, especially among those who are already supposing one interpretation of his presence in their lives.  You see, his disciples had been looking for a savior, and they, through the Holy Spirit had recognized Jesus as that Savior; so they were just naturally assuming that it was all good now.  Jesus, in great kindness, decides to introduce them to the real world, because he knew that as long as they kept supposing that they were getting on a cruise ship they would be running the same risk of frustration and even contempt with the ship’s captain that the passengers of the Carnival Splendor experienced.

Once we grasp this truth, life becomes a lot more tolerable.  Once we understand that Jesus is handing out swords, not Bingo cards, our expectations change.  I’m not saying that it’s all doom and gloom.  Just the opposite, Jesus has offered us the grandest of adventures, much more spectacular than another site seeing bus tour. It is however, war.  The food may not always be warm and the lights may not always be on, but Jesus will always be there, with sword in hand, embracing the voyage.

To the King,

David