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The Last Straw Paula McDonald's original story, "The Last Straw," is about a mother who gets stressed out during the Christmas season—(I didn't say it was entirely original.) With all of the bickering and arguing between the four kids, Kelly and Eric stood out as the worst—absolutely horrible to each other. Then she remembered her grandmother's age-old custom of making the birth of the Christ-child more real. Each week, the family members would pick a name and then secretly do kind things for that person. With each good deed, a straw would be placed in the manger—making it ready for the coming of Jesus. It seemed to be working overall, but mother noticed that Eric was always unhappy, and on the last week, he ran up to his room crying. When Mom and Dad tried to discover the problem, he was packing his little suitcase and declared that he was going to his snow fort across the street and would be back right after Christmas. They let him go, but shortly after, Mom went over. His story gushed out with his tears—he had picked Kelly's name each week and had done much for her, even loaning her his favorite race cars—which she broke! It was the straw that broke the camel's back—he was afraid he would haul off and hit her, ruining Christmas for one and all—just as the baby Jesus was brought out. Mom suggested that she and Eric switch names, which was fine by Eric. But when she went up to secretly turn down Kelly's bed, it was already done, and there, on the pillow, was another race car. Eric had placed the last straw! I know Christmas is not just a matter of doing nice things for nice people, or even for people we don't especially like. But it is about a God who loved us so much that He would become one of us, giving Himself for all—including those who don’t especially like Him. Eric was having a pretty tough time of it, but something—or Someone—spoke to his heart of the true meaning of Christmas—Love! Yes, Love—love so powerful and real that it transforms the heart as well as the situation. A.W. Tozer once wrote, "A simple-hearted man was once asked how he managed to live in such a state of tranquility even though surrounded by circumstances that were anything but pleasant. His answer was as profound as it was simple: 'I have learned to cooperate with the inevitable!'" He is not speaking of fatalism, or even denying the freedom of the human will. On the contrary, he is asserting that freedom unashamedly! You see, we cannot control everything around us, but we can determine our attitudes towards it. We can accept God's will, no matter what! If our will is to do God's will, then we will have no place of irritation or argument—even when we would normally feel that the circumstance was the last straw! I believe we see this in Luke 1—the story of Zechariah the priest. He and his wife, Elizabeth, would eventually be the parents of Jesus' forerunner, John the Baptist—"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." (Isaiah 40:3). It happened at the temple—even in the midst of worship. While he was within, all the people were outside in prayer. You see, they knew their need—ever since Adam and Eve, people had chosen their own direction and their own understanding. It would seem that this first straw in the Garden of Eden would have been the last straw for God, knowing how much God hates sin. But He allowed them to go for centuries—Judges and Kings; Prophets and even the Babylonian exile—straw after straw after straw. Was it now time for the last one? As the incense ascended, an angel descended to the right side of the altar. In the Greek, the "right" side refers to that which grabs a hold of something. The angel had indeed grabbed a hold of Zechariah's attention—…"he was troubled, and fear fell upon him." (vs. 12) This "trouble" refers to a stirring or agitation. But how can that be?—the message of the angel was one of Good News—the child that he and his wife had been praying for was finally coming, even in their old age. But had he expected this?—"And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; and to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (vss. 14-17) Wow! Did you see how many "shalls" are in this prophecy? Maybe this is why Zechariah is so flabbergasted—"Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years."(vs. 18) What is really happening here? Does his unbelief stem from a limited view of answered prayer—he and his wife were praying for a baby, but God seems to be sending a fireball of a deliverer? Is he just simply startled by how definite God's plan seems to be—no wiggle room, no place for his own ideas? Could be! But really it doesn't matter—unbelief, no matter what the source, is sin! Oh, sure, back in verse 6, he is declared to be, "righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless," but that was then, and this is now. It is one thing to follow the Lord in the past, but what about right now—in the brand new situation that has just come our way? We know that God had a problem with Zechariah's initial response, because the angel declares that he will not be able to speak until the child is born. Now, this is not to say that God hates Zechariah and is now punishing him—on the contrary, this is actually His mercy! For the next nine months, he would NOT be able to utter another word of unbelief. He would have plenty of time to consider one simple fact—God is God and he is not! Physiologically, nine months is the time that God takes to bring a human life into this world, and while He is doing so in this family, He is also bringing an ever deepening spiritual life into Zechariah. It is all a matter of authority—will he, and will we, come under God's authority, through Jesus Christ, believing and obeying His Holy Word. Will we let God make the alterations, using the circumstances of our lives, as He sees fit? Have we finally come to the point of just trusting Him to know what He is doing, and know in the depths of our beings "…that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are called according to His purpose?" (Romans 8:28) Have we learned to cooperate with the inevitable, and if we haven't, will we now do so—by the grace of God? So much of the picture is attitude—receiving His attitude of authority! Oswald Chambers once wrote, "Our state of mind is powerful in its effects. It can be the enemy that penetrates right into our soul and distracts our minds from God. There are certain attitudes we should never dare to indulge. If we do, we will find they have distracted us from true faith in God. Until we get back into a quite mood before him, our faith is of no value, and our confidence in the flesh and in human ingenuity is what rules our lives." Oh, His wonderful authority? No longer having to figure out what would be best in my life. No longer running here or there to hear a new Word, but settling into the truth of the Bible that is right before me. No longer trying to justify my own understanding of obedience to God, but now coming under the true authority that will produce both true faith and obedience, without all the wrangling and excuses. No longer making claims of spirituality and devotion, when there is virtually no hunger for a strong word of conviction or a desire to be changed body, mind, and spirit. No longer demanding that I know what others need, including my own family, when the end result of that way is a running away from God—not to Him! Praise God—when I come under His authority, all of life changes. Now that doesn't mean that all my problems just vanish into thin air, but they might as well have—they are no longer my focus. Praise God for the last straw—the authority of Jesus, which is expressed vividly in the humble coming of God to a manger that starry night—this is my glorious focus! Ironic, isn't it? On that first Christmas, though the world was teeming around them in its busyness, Mary and Joseph had settled into a quiet stable to witness Love coming down from heaven. The Psalmist writes, "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah." (46:10-11) But today, the whole season of Christmas is often nothing but a helter-skelter hub-bub of confusion and clamor. Learn from Zechariah—we need that "quiet mood" before the Lord. No more expressions of unbelief; just total surrender and submission to His authoritative will. In this, we place the last straw in the manger of our hearts, becoming ready for His Christmas! Copyright (c)
2005 Christ Our Rock Bible Church. |
