God-Bugs

"Jesus answered, 'Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.'"

I stared at the clock clicking softly. It's soothing cadence had me mesmerized. "Time," I thought, "is almost slowed to a stop when we watch it."

Of course I don't usually have such deep thoughts without anesthesia, and this moment was no different. Having have numerous surgeries, I've had many "deep" thoughts - like "Since my head feels like a pancake, will I still like waffles?"

Yet few of these thoughts stand the test of time. The thought I had on time above[after an unusually short (for me)shoulder-surgery] has stuck with me. And time is a weird thing isn't it? We never have enough of it when we're doing something we love, when we're in pain it feels like forever and when we're anticipating something good or bad it simply stops. Time can be kind of a jerk.

That's why I'm grateful that Jesus addresses time when his disciples question his sanity in returning to Jerusalem (where Pharisees with big muscles wanted to play dodge-rock). I know I would have questioned his sanity a lot. Like "Jesus, have you ever been checked for Palestinian God-Bugs?"

An Early Palestinian God-Bugs Definition out of The Early Palestinian Dictionary of Things You Should Know Don't Exist says: "... once inhabiting their host, God-Bugs turn the host's eyes blue and hair blond, and convince the host that he is God. The bugs also are known to work miracles, like flawless complexion and the occasional walk across water."

But going back to Jesus' statement on time. He simply answers the disciples fear with "Aren't their just 12 hours in a day? And aren't you with me, the light?" I love it. Jesus sees through their fears for him for what they are, fears for themselves.

Self-preservation can kill you. At least it can kill your faith. And Jesus is reminding his followers that a life of faith is as simple and beautifully complex as walking with him. And that in this walk with Christ, time holds no real fears.

And this isn't simply because Jesus had God-Bugs.