Josiah Road

“Sherlock Blackaby”

I recently read “The Hound of the Baskervilles” and found myself in envy of the hero’s observational skills. His aptitude for seeing the big picture from the smallest clue is amazing! My pitiful detective ability is stretched by the simple task of differentiating between a black shirt and a dark blue shirt. However, this never stopped me from honing in on my skills of detection as a kid. When I was younger, I loved to use my cousin’s skateboard. I never mastered the art of standing up, but I could maneuver by sitting on it and shifting my weight. I spent many hours racing my cousin and my brother down his sloped street (as well as nursing some nasty road burns!) When my birthday arrived, I knew exactly what I wanted: a brand new skateboard. I was determined to blow away the competition in our next race. The night before my birthday, I could only think about what might await me the next morning. Thanks to an overactive sense of curiosity, it didn’t take long before I sneaked downstairs in the dark to uncover the mystery. Sure enough, there was a package waiting for me at the kitchen table. I carefully removed the tissue paper, peered inside the bag and saw …a pair of kneepads.

To this day, words cannot express my disappointment! How could my parents do this to me? Why would they lead me to believe one thing, only to shatter my hopes with this cursed pair of KNEEPADS?! Angry and dissatisfied, I re-wrapped the gift, went to my room, and drifted into a restless sleep. The next morning, I entered the kitchen with a fake expression of enthusiasm on my face. But I was in for a surprise. There, sitting on the table beside the knee pads, was a brand new skateboard.

My curiosity extends further than birthday presents. I don’t like mysteries that remain unanswered. I am sometimes overwhelmed by all the questions I have about life. I often think of the questions I will ask God one day when I get to heaven; questions about the evil and pain in the world. However, I have recently been drawn to the end of the book of John. Jesus had just given Peter some heavy news about the hardships he would face, including his death. An exasperated Peter points to a fellow disciple following behind and asks Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus replies, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow me.” (John 21:21-22) Peter, like me, wanted to know all the answers. He wanted to know the future. But Jesus never promised us all the answers. He promised us something much better: Himself. We are called to follow Jesus, even when we don’t have all the answers. I have found, the longer I follow Jesus the more my heart is at peace. I may not have all the answers, but I follow and trust the One who does.