In 2016 the Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in seven games to win the World Series, ending a 108 year drought for the Cubbies. Not only did winning the Series end that long drought, it also ended one of the longest running superstitions in professional sports. According to legend, in 1945, Chicago’s Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis brought his beloved pet goat to Game 4 of the World Series at Wrigley Field. Because of the goat’s odor, he was asked to leave the ballpark, and upon exiting, allegedly shouted, “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.” The Cubs, who were up two games at the time, ended up losing Game 4, going on to lose the best-of-seven series, four games to three, and thus, “The Curse of the Billy Goat” was born.

For some of you, you too are in the midst of a long dry spell, and you wonder when it will end. Or maybe you have been praying for something for what seems like an eternity, but so far, no answer from God. Or at least not the answer you hope for.

Regardless of what you’ve been waiting for, I think you will agree; we are not a society that waits well. We have no patience for waiting.

When we moved back to Pennsylvania a few years ago, the farmhouse we were living in at the time had no office space, so I did most of my writing at the kitchen table. Every day as I wrote, one of our cats was very patiently waiting for me to pet him. He just sat in the window sill, in no hurry to go anywhere, simply waiting and waiting. When I got up, he got up and followed me. When I sat back down, back up into the window sill he went. Just waiting. I could learn a lot from the patience of cats. 

Usually when we think of waiting, we think passive, sit back with feet propped up, and wait – “I will wait until it stops raining to go outside.” But waiting on God is anything but passive. In Psalm 27, David expresses that waiting on God involves trusting (vv.1-3), seeking (4-6), and praying (7-12). And the hopeful psalm ends like this – “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD” (13-14).

“I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I hope” (Psalm 130:5).

So today, even if it seems like you have been waiting since 1908, know this – “The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him” (Lamentations 3:25).

Did you know that the southward and northward flowing ocean currents of the Atlantic Ocean meet near Cape Hatteras, on North Carolina’s Outer Banks? Here the Gulf Stream, warm and salty, breaks away from the coastline and heads eastward toward Europe, but not before converging with the Labrador Current that carries cold and relatively fresh water from the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans. These two water masses have very different densities, so they don’t just quietly mix, but rather, they collide with one another. Thus, these volatile and dangerous waters are known as “The Graveyard of the Atlantic.”

[Both the Gulf Stream and Labrador Current are rapid moving surface currents, meaning they are driven by global wind systems and fueled by the sun’s energy. Slow moving and looping deep water currents, on the other hand, which make up the majority of the ocean’s waters, are due to differences in water density (temperature and salinity).]  

The ocean is one of our favorite places to hang out. And whether it is low tide or high tide, whether there is a rip current or very little current, or whether the ocean water is cold from the Labrador Current or warm from the Gulf Stream, one thing about the ocean is constant – while the water ebbs and flows and the tide rises and falls, the ocean keeps crashing onto the shore. The waves, whether big or small, just keeping coming, one right after another.

While our lives ebb and flow, some days life seems calm with soft gentle waves and other days you find yourself staring at some of the world’s biggest and most dangerous surf breaks, you can rest assured that just like the ocean is always the ocean regardless of the water conditions, God is always love, God is always faithful, God is always in control, regardless of your life conditions. Stand in the ocean and the water will constantly wash over you. Stand in God’s love and it too will always wash over you, wave after wave after wave.

Just like the ocean’s never-ending currents and waves, God’s deep love never ends. It always washes over you and always washes over me. We find these words in Psalm 42:7-8 – “Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and waves have gone over me. By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.”

So, regardless of the condition of the ocean water that you stand in, whether it is calm and peaceful or volatile and dangerous, run in and out of God’s waves of love and let Him refresh you over and over and over again.

Have you ever found yourself on a road that is going nowhere? Maybe you got there because you turned onto that road thinking that is went to where you wanted to go. You might have missed an exit, gotten off on the wrong exit, or ignored the road signs pointing you in the right direction. Do you ever fail to listen to the voice coming from your GPS or the person in the passenger seat? It could be you thought the road was a shortcut or it is possible that you simply just got lost. No matter how you got on it, it soon became apparent that the road you were on was a dead end road and you needed to turn around.  

In life we all find ourselves on dead end roads from time to time. The good news is that while it is true that dead end roads do not lead anywhere except farther away from where you want to go, it is also true that you can get off that road. Dead end roads are never one way roads. It might be as simple as turning around and going back to the intersection and getting on another road, or you might have to back up on the twisty-turny road, trying to avoid the swamp that sits right next to the road. You know what it is that is “dead end” for you.

There is no shame in being on a dead end road. We all are there at some point in life. If you are truly journeying through life, it is impossible not to get lost at some point. The key is what we do when we find ourselves on that dead end road. I encourage you to look in the mirror and honestly evaluate those things you are doing, or relationships you are in, that are “dead end roads.” It is never too late to turn around and reorient your life. And in doing so, you will find yourself on the highways of life, those very roads that breathe life into you, not suck the life out of you.

King David knew who was to guide him, In Psalm 16:11 we read his words – “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

The writer of Proverbs knew this as well – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Just as you have a GPS in your vehicle to guide you while driving, the Holy Spirit (see John 14:16), is your GPS in life, desiring to guide your every step. Every dead end road started at some intersection. Get back to that intersection. Get on your knees and ask God to give you the courage, strength, and wisdom to make the choices needed to get off the wrong road.

[When the Holy Spirit is described by Jesus as a Helper, an Advocate, as in the verse above, the Greek word is parakletos. You can think of this in legal terms. While the Spirit is your defense attorney, your Advocate, your Counselor, the opposing counsel is the Accuser, from the Greek word katēgōr (see Revelation 12:10). In the Old Testament, this idea of accuser (adversary) is most often from the Hebrew noun śātān. Some form of this generic noun appears over 25 times in the OT.]

We have all heard the phrase “He or she knows the big picture.” When we say that about someone, we mean that they grasp the general, overall, or long-term scheme of something rather than just what is right in front of them. On the flipside if someone doesn’t understand the big picture, it means that they do not understand the entire situation or issue. There are times in all of our lives in which we only know certain pieces of the puzzle, and therefore things do not always make sense to us. We cannot see beyond the limits of our understanding.

Often the big overarching question is, why does God allow this or that to happen (or not happen)? To us, sometimes it just does not make sense since we do not know the big picture. While our understanding is limited and imperfect, God’s understanding is limitless and always perfect! Think walking on the ground and trying to view miles and miles of coastline versus seeing that same coastline from the air.

Three years ago, Robyn and I took a helicopter ride while at a church conference in Myrtle Beach. Being up in the air gave us a big picture view of the region. From that height we could see large wooded areas, entire developments, and the sandy coastline from North Myrtle to Myrtle; all things we could not easily see or comprehend from the ground. 

We have a God who created the universe and everything in it. Colossians 1:16 tells us this, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”  

And not only did God create it all, but He also knows the big picture, He has a plan in mind. We read these words in Isaiah 46:10, “I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will” (HCSB).

God is not confined to our timetable nor is He limited in His understanding. He is never early, never late, and maybe what bugs us the most, He is never in a hurry, even when “hurry” is what we want. Most certainly there are times when we wish things would move quicker, especially those things causing us great difficulty… but we find these words in Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Following this verse, in vv.2-8, fourteen opposites are juxtaposed; examples of how life is comprised of varying seasons. And v.11 ends like this, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”   

And for those of you who “need to have every detail planned out,” the truth is, God has ultimate authority over time. Here is what Jesus said to his disciples right being taken up into Heaven regarding when the kingdom would be restored – “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:7).

So, with all that in mind, today I ask – can you, will you, trust that God knows the big picture and is in control, even when what you see looks out of control and doesn’t make sense?

Before we head to the beach, one of the things we check is the tide chart to determine when high and low tides will occur that day. You are probably thinking – does it really matter? For us, yes.

If you have ever been to the beach, you have undoubtedly seen that family who has little clue about the tides, always wanting to be a little too close to the water, only to soon find their spot on the beach invaded by that one extra big wave. We chuckle at the “blame game” that usually occurs as those folks begrudgingly move their soaking wet belongings further away from the water. Knowing the tides helps us not be those people. But if truth be known, we don’t always get it right either, our stuff does sometimes get wet. And we like to collect shells. The best time for shell collecting is usually about an hour before and after low tide, so knowing the tides gave us a plan for beachcombing. So, yes, knowing the tides matters to us.

 The tides are caused by the gravitational attraction of the ocean’s water to the sun and the moon, and there are two tidal bulges every lunar day (the time it takes for the moon to make one full rotation on its axis) with two high tides and two low tides. Because a lunar day – 24 hours and 50 minutes – is longer than a solar day, the tides are not exactly 6 hours apart. You might not be aware that there is a third tide, called a slack tide. This is the short period of time when there is no movement either way in the tidal stream, before the direction of the tide changes. The two phases of the tide are called ebb and flow, with the ebb being when the water drains way from the shore and the flow being when the water rises again.  

Just as it is with the tides, our faith journey also has ebbs and flows. Some days, weeks, or months it seems as if we are in sync with God and our faith is flowing, while at other periods of time we feel as it our faith is ebbing, draining away from God. And isn’t it also true that we have those “slack tide” periods too, when we just seem to be stuck in park.

While our faith constantly ebbs and flows, God never changes. He is continually working to carry out His plans and purposes, even when we don’t see it of feel it. Jesus, when questioned by Jewish leaders as to why He was doing things on the Sabbath replied this way, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working (John 5:17).”And elsewhere in the New Testament, in Romans 8:28, we find these familiar words, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purposes.”    

So, today, regardless of whether you feel close to God or very distant, whether your tide is rising or falling, or somewhere in between, you can rest assured that God is at work and He is in control, and is calling you to simply be obedient by trusting in Him and His plans!

We are often labeled by things we do or the groups we are associated with. You know, sort of like the labels, often handwritten, on home-canned goods found at farmer’s markets. The label simply states the contents of the jar, and nothing more.   

If you are an avid fan of a certain sports team, let’s say you follow The Ohio State Buckeyes, then you are part of Buckeye Nation. If you were born between 1946 and 1964, you are considered a Baby Boomer. The devotees to Charles Manson were known as the Manson Family and the women often referred to themselves as Charlie’s Girls. The young people of the 1960s counterculture were called hippies. Many of those same hippies joined the Jesus Movement and became known as Jesus freaks.

Someone who has been convicted of a serious crime is labeled as a felon. If you have a particular interest in food, you are called a foodie. Or if your nose is always in a book, and you are devoted to reading, you might be a bookworm. How about jock, political junkie, addict, deadbeat dad, soccer mom, nerd, liberal; again, all words used to label people. And lastly, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are called a Christian, or in some circles you are simply known as a Jesus-follower.

We tend to find identity in our labels. And that identity can be positive, neutral or negative. If your boss calls you innovative, you probably tend to be motivated by that, feeling free to allow your creative juices to flow. On the flipside, maybe as a child someone called you a loser and that crippling label has stuck with you into adulthood. But the truth of the gospel is that we are not our labels. We read this in Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Paul is saying when Jesus died and rose again that nothing in his (Paul) past – he was a self-righteous persecutor of anyone who associated with the name of Jesus – mattered in the eyes of God any longer. And that is true for you and me today, no label, good or bad, can keep us from the love of Christ (see Romans 8:31-39). Those earthly labels placed upon us do not define us in the eyes of God. We may still have or be whatever has labeled us, but those labels no longer define our identity. We are more than just labels.   

I also want to extend a warning. Just like any other label, the word Christian is just that, a label. It does not define who you are or what you do; it is only a category you fit in, only a box to check off. And it defines you no more than any of the labels referenced above. We read these convicting words found in 1 John 2:6 – “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

So, labels do not define you, rather, it is who you are in Christ that defines you. If you have given your life to Jesus then your label is in fact Christian, but today I ask a different question – Do you walk out your life believing that Christ lives in you? Do you walk out your life considering who you truly are? When people see you, do they see the character of God being reflected in you? You are more than just a label.