"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

"I wonder if Eve ever ate any more fruit."

So today I decided to take Michael to lunch. On the way I turned the radio to a music station, but Michael said, "Susie, turn it back to your preacher. I like listening to him." Flipped back to the CD I'd had on when I started the car.

Preacher started his message with a question: "If God asked you 'what do you want most in life?' how would you answer him? Think about it for a moment."

And then he pauses for a few seconds in which Michael looks up from playing with a Lego toy, smiles broadly and blurts out "Eternal life!"


The message was about Solomon being asked this question by God and replying that he desired wisdom, but I grinned at Michael's answer. Just before he blurted out his choice, I was thinking Michael would ask for more Lego collections, a Transformer or a new Bakugan game piece. So I was pretty pleased with "eternal life" if you want to know the truth! :)

-------------------------------------

In Max Lucado's book he starts off one chapter with a list of "I wonders." Things like

I wonder if Eve ever ate any more fruit.
I wonder if Noah slept well during storms.
I wonder if Jonah liked fish or if Jeremiah had friends.
Did Moses avoid bushes?
Did Jesus tells jokes?
Did Peter ever try water-walking again?
Would any woman have married Paul had he asked?


He continues, "The Bible is a fence full of knotholes through which we can peek but not see the whole picture. It's a scrapbook of snapshots capturing people in encounters with God, but not always recording the result. So we wonder:

When the woman caught in adultery went home, what did she say to her husband?
After the demoniac was delivered, what did he do for a living?
After Jairus's daughter was raised from the dead, did she ever regret it?"

Have you ever read the Scriptures and wondered what happened to this or that person who had such an amazing encounter with God? Here are a few from me.

Did Barabbas - the robber freed instead of Jesus - return to a life of crime?

I wonder what Jesus said to the little children who were brought to him.

Did Balaam feel sheepish when he fed his donkey every morning as he remembered his donkey speaking to him -- and his replying back to him?

Did Daniel ever go to the zoo and smile as he went past the caged lions?

I wonder if Zacchaeus ever climbed any more trees.

I wonder just how many hairs I have on my head and how many bottles of tears God has collected from me.

Do you have any to share?


quotes from pg. 165-166 -- He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado

9 comments:

Wafa said...

my comment might seem silly. I have these questions of what did happen here and there after I finish reading fiction novels or after finsihing a movie or a reading a real story. I keep wondering all the time " what did happen to those and what would happen if this or that has happened?" . silly huh ?

But i loved the post :)

Carmen said...

So I was pretty pleased with "eternal life" if you want to know the truth! :)

Heck yeah! What a treasure you have in Michael. I recently wrote about that very concept. If God said I could ask for one thing...what would it be. My answer was that my children would always live for God.

--

As for your "have you ever wondered" question. Of course.

I've often wondered what happened to Rahab and her family after they were saved. Or if Samuel's mother ever regretted promising that she'd give her son to God if He just allowed her to conceive. I've wondered what Esther's relationship was like with her husband/king after she was so bold.

I've wondered what really went through Peter's head after he denied Christ.

And if Joseph ever got tired waiting for his dreams to actually come to fruition.

I wonder a lot...probably too much for some people.

Anonymous said...

Great post.

Amber said...

Michael's answer is delightful. :) Of course, at his age, I might have said the same thing, but I would have meant on earth, as a vampire. I was a weird child...

'I wonder if Eve ever ate any more fruit.' - I'll bet she did, but I'd also bet she didn't listen to any talking snakes.

'I wonder if Jonah liked fish' - I think Jonah *really* enjoyed eating fish. Revenge, don't you know...

'Did Moses avoid bushes?' - Nope. He hung around them, waiting. :)

'Did Jesus tells jokes?' - Sure. Did you hear the one about the carpenter and the duck?

'Did Peter ever try water-walking again?' - Every chance he got. He also learned how to swim really, really well. ;)

'Did Barabbas - the robber freed instead of Jesus - return to a life of crime?' - Now, this one is interesting. When we were going through the Passion readings in class, the kids all wanted to know what happened to Barabbas after he was freed. And they were disappointed that it wasn't mentioned in the Bible.

I always wonder what happened after the story 'ended'.

Susanne said...

Wafa', no, that's not silly. It's cute! I remember reading realllllly good books in the past and wishing they kept going so I can see what happens next! So I can relate very much to what you said! :)

Susanne said...

Carmen, "My answer was that my children would always live for God."

Amen! I don't understand parents sometimes when they do their very best to provide wonderful educations and great opportunities for their children yet they seem to neglect spiritual things. It's like they want their kids to be well-prepared and set for this life, but don't seem to realize life after death is much, much longer. Your children are blessed to have parents who focus on the most important things.

Oooooh, your wonderings are fantastic! I'm so glad you shared those!

Susanne said...

Robin, welcome and thank you!


Amber, YOU were a weird child? I'm shocked!

Aha! Fish Revenge! Your answers were GREAT!!!!!!!!! Ha!

How neat that your students wanted to know what happened to Barabbas!

Your "wonder" ... wow. Yes. True.

Suroor said...

I have a question that I will only email you :D

Susanne said...

Suroor, thanks! ;)