Step into the river

Last night was Bible study. It was my first time back with the group after a hiatus of over a month. Jared called me Monday afternoon to see if I knew anything about a graphic arts company he’s thinking about working for. In exchange, I asked if he could give me a ride. We agreed he’d pick me up at around 7:10.

At 7:10, I was just getting on my bike at the YWCA. The step-erobics class had ended at 6:30ish, as normal. Most of the other students quickly put away their mats and steps and leave the arena; I like to vedge on my mat for an extra minute or two, towelling off my face and neck. I also take another 5-10 minutes to stretch out, beyond the cooldown phase of the workout. I especially like to stretch the back of my calves, and my inner thighs. They get too little streching in life.

But that’s not why I was late leaving. I was flirting with my instructor.

Not flirting in the way most people would think. It was just conversing, just attention, and it was going both ways. But it wasn’t charged, wasn’t loaded. It had no mission beyond getting to know the other. If there had been, I probably wouldn’t have done it at all.

It started when I first met her. After the first class, I knew she was someone I was “interested” in. Last night, I confirmed why. She’s an IxTP, with strong intuition. That doesn’t suprise me. I have found I am almost instantly attracted to anyone with 3 or more Myers-Briggs traits the same as mine. She’s also 41. That did suprise me. She seemed much closer to my age, but on the other hand I hadn’t been looking at age in any case. I was drawn to her by who she is.

She has talked about her kids before, and her ex-husband. But last night I also found out she is married. Which is just as well. It didn’t keep us from getting to know each other a little better after each class period. We talked about personality types last night, and we’ve identified that her husband is a Guardian archtype (SJ). He’s told her that he feels alone, and wants to change, but seems otherwise content with where he is at.

As she described him, she says he is often moody, depressed, grey – and even identifes himself as such – but seems unwilling to try anything different, unwilling to change. As if he assumes the depression is normal or “safe” and if it ain’t broke, why fix it.

I know people like that. People who hate where they are at, but blame other people around them who seem to get along better. People who are unwilling to let go of what they know, despite the fact that it holds them back. This is a J-trait, this is the judging personality characteristic. Not that they are judgemental, but they are closure-seeking, and tend to distrust openness, or new ideas.

We both shared our frustrations with that kind of attitude.

I recommended the Kiersey book, and we made our way to the parking lot. We ended the conversation talking about our mothers, and her being the mother to her kids. It was a good bonding session. A new friend.

I pulled up in front of my building downtown and scanned the rows of parked cars for heads. Finding none, I began to worry if I had missed Jared. I stowed my bike and headed upstairs to change shirt and socks. I knew would not have time to shower in any case. My phone buzzed, and I had a numeric page. It was Chet, our group leader. He was calling to see if I needed a ride. I explained my own lateness and told me to call back in a few if Jared didn’t show up.

I freshened myself and made a note that said “Gone with Chet” to put on my door if needed. Then I waited in my vestibule at street level. I was talking to Chet again when Jared popped his head into my doorway. He too was running late, and was glad he hadn’t missed me. I revealed that it was mutual. His sister was with him, and the three of us talked about college classes and specifically cultural anthropology and sociology.

Jared and his sister both were of the mind that “Sociology 101” was pretty much a waste of time. I said that psychology had psychiatrists, and optomology had optometrists and that sociology wasnt a real science unless it had an “trist”. They laughed.

We are continuing with the Old Testament Challenge out of Willow Creek. Today’s study was finishing Deutronomy and starting Joshua. The subject was the Israelites finally entering into the Promised Land. The focus was Caleb, and the actual crossing.

Caleb, who 40 years prior was one of the scouts who returned and was not afraid of the “giants” in the promised land. He had faith in God, but because of the lack of faith of the others, he was forced to wait 40 additional years. And he was still anxious. He was now 85 years old, and all he wanted was to do one more great hard thing for God.

The crossing, when God finally said “go”. All the people had to do was cross the Jordan river. The Jordan river by itself is not so formidable of a water. Today it is just a trickle of what it was, due to irrigation uses, but it was not incredibly deep along most of its length. However, where the Israelites were crossing was at one of its deepest points, since the armies of other nations controlled the shallower points. Moreover, the river was at flood stage.

God told the people, “go, and when you set your feet into the Jordan, I will dam it up so you may cross”. Understand that a cross-section of this particular valley shows that when the Jordan was a flood stage – there were no shallows. Instead, the swollen river was held in course by a shear bank. To step in was to really step in.

And the nation was to be led by the Arc of the Covenant – a hugely heavy sarcophagus. Can you picture being the two men at the front of the procession, with a heavy crate on your shoulders, told to step into a flood swollen river?

But they were faithful. They did step in. And God was faithful. He did stop up the waters, and allowed them to cross as he promised.

The lesson for the evening was that God wants to do great things with each of us, but He wants to see our faithfulness first. As Christians, we need to develop a risk-taking mind set. Not one which is careless and wasteful, but rather one that moves when God calls, one the trusts when God promises. A mindset that is willing to step out, step forward when God asks.

We need to step into the river and let God work great things for us.

You do not receive, because you do not ask.

You do not progress, because you do not proceed.