JUGGLING PIZZAS and MATTHEW 8:23-27

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

I’m going to share an experience I had in the past when my children were young and I was attempting to make a good “home-cooked” meal. My son had invited a friend over and I knew we would have an extra mouth to feed. I decided I would stop by the Take‑n‑Bake Pizza Parlor and pick up a pizza.

 

When I arrived home with the pizza my son greeted me with a huge smile. I knew it was not because he was glad to see me necessarily, but because of the food I held in my hand. I took off the plastic wrap, placed a pizza in the oven and set the oven at the correct temperature. Eighteen minutes later the buzzer went off announcing that a luscious hot meal was ready for consumption. I put on my insulated mittens and removed the pizza from the hot oven. The smell of the melted cheese and meat was overwhelming. My son was not the only one hungry for pizza.

 

I walked towards the counter with our meal for the night. Halfway there, the pizza began sliding off the cardboard tray. My middle-aged lightning reflexes responded accordingly, compensating for the shift in the pizza’s center of gravity. The pizza stopped sliding… momentarily. My countermeasures had caused the pizza to shift back in the opposite direction with increased speed. Again, my experienced past athletic skills kicked in gear and I managed to alter the direction of the pizza again. Back and forth the pizza went like a Wimbledon Tennis match. During this juggling act I was making some progress towards the counter where I could rest our dinner on secure ground. Unfortunately in each attempt to compensate for the pizza’s movement, it gained momentum. I believe I remember something about this from my college physics course and my son’s science homework we had attempted only a few weeks ago.

 

As I juggled the pizza back and forth it became more contorted in shape resembling more a giant taco than a pizza. Finally I reached the counter, but before I could throw it on the safety of the kitchen countertop, it made one last attempt at freedom. It lunged to the right with tenacity but I was the smarter, wiser, more powerful foe and I halted its movement.

 

Unfortunately I wasn’t aware that the topping also had a mind of its own. To my horror I witnessed the cheese, tomato and meat topping levitate off the pizza and fly down the side of the kitchen cabinet. Pieces of cheese and tomato perched themselves on the handles of each cabinet drawer like crows on a telephone pole wire. The bulk of the delicious topping rested in a large gooey mass on the floor that I had just mopped.

 

I grabbed some paper towels and scooped up our lost meal and dumped it in the garbage. I glanced at what was left, a bare‑naked pizza smiling at me, secure on its resting place of the kitchen counter.  It’s at moments like these you ask those deep religious questions like: Was this the will of God? Why me Lord? Or Should I have prayed before attempting this task? 

 

Things do not always work out the way we plan in life. We all know this, but we all continue to expect things to go the way we hope or plan. In Matthew we are given an example of how an unexpected uncomfortable event was handled by two different types of faith. Matthew 8:24‑27 says, “Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’”

 

Here we find a storm appeared out of nowhere to threaten the life of everyone aboard the boat. Our Savior had faith in His heavenly father and probably would have slept through the whole storm had He not been awakened by the disciples.

 

Jesus knew that no matter what outcome the storm would have, He could trust His loving Father who was in control. The disciples on the other hand feared for their life. Even though the Son of God slept contently before them, they didn’t have faith to feel secure.

 

Possibly Jesus calmed the storm, not to show His power or perform a miracle to validate His ministry, but simply to ease the fears of the faithless on board. Like many works of God, it accomplished several goals at the same time. It validated who Jesus was and His ministry, it taught a lesson in faith, and it ministered to those who were in need of comfort.

 

Very likely when things don’t go our way we need to evaluate our faith in our Heavenly Father. We need to determine if we are looking at our circumstances with our Father’s eyes or with our own limited nearsighted vision.

 

It’s not an easy task to live with spiritual insight. We tend to look at situations from an earthly perspective rather than a heavenly one. While this may be our natural way of responding, we are called as Christians to handle life’s hardships in a different manor.

 

Paul was Timothy’s mentor and gave him instruction in this area when in 2 Timothy 4:5 he says, “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” Paul is saying here that when difficult circumstances and trials occur a Christian’s response should be to remain calm, endure the situation and respond as a Child of God should. Unfortunately we usually reap what we have sown. Unless we are committed to maturing as God’s children by developing our relationship with our Savior, we will continue to respond to life’s challenges in a worldly manner.

 

There are several reasons the disciples responded the way they did to the storm. First, they did not yet have the gift of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Secondly, they had not yet fully comprehended who Jesus was. Thirdly, they did not possess the faith to trust in their Lord, as they should have.  

 

If we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we have the Holy Spirit living in us, ready to instruct, guide and empower us to respond in a Christ‑like manner in all situations. We are called as God’s children to continue to grow and mature in our faith and in our relationship with Him so we can live in a holy manner. We can trust that God will grant us the faith to handle all situations, especially those we could not handle without His help.

 

So what might have been the disciples’ response to the storm if they had truly been filled with God’s Spirit and had the faith of Christ? They might have decided to pull up a blanket and catch a few winks while the storm raged around them. They might have woken Jesus and all watched the storm throw their boat around like a matchstick enjoying the ride of a lifetime. They might have even calmed the storm themselves with their Lord and Master watching, smiling in satisfaction, at the faith His children had in their Heavenly Father.

 

What will be your response when God calls you to juggle some pizzas or ride in a small boat on a stormy sea? Be fully prepared by living as God has called you to. Talk daily with your Father God, rest in the knowledge that Jesus has your back and always remember the because you have trusted Jesus as your Savior the Holy Spirit lives within you and will give you the power to endure your situation and establish in your heart mind and soul that God loves you immensely.

 

Listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit that resides in your life. Read God’s Word and practice what it says? You may find that the rough roads of life are much easier navigated when you have laid a foundation built on the life of Christ.