Only under conditions in which it is persistently deprived of warmth, do water molecules form a bond of such comparative strength that it can uproot a tree, split rock or in this case, uphold a 4800 lb Jeep Grand Cherokee.
On the way home to Vermont last Sunday, February 7, cars and shanties were spotted along Long Lake off Highway 302 in central Maine. I wondered what it would be like to actually drive on a frozen lake. So against my better judgment, I pulled up next to a couple of locals, I asked them where the launch was located, in order to be able to drive onto the frozen span of water. They pointed ten feet to my right, and pleasantly reassured me that the ice thickness was about 2 feet deep, and with the gauge on my Jeep reading a chilly 17°F, despite the bright sun along with a slight wind chill, there was no way that thing was going to melt.
Certainly the closest thing to actually driving on water, the Hakka Pellitas proved their worth, easily gripping the ice like it was asphalt. I drove out to the middle of the lake away from any of the ice fishing structures or other cars, and opened the door to walk out. Once again learning the value of dedicated winter tread and rubber, my Crocs had me slipping and sliding all the way out on the ice, just to get far enough away to let me take this photo with adequate context. Yes, that's my Jeep. Yes, that's a frozen lake in Maine, yes, it's a wonderfully bright day. And yes, it was a foolish Californian behind the camera.
The cracks along parts of ice proved to be merely superficial, but I still couldn't help but wonder what minimal force it would take to enlarge the split to a larger crevasse. Just seeing those cracks was a bit unnerving. What reassured me as I took a slow turn to head the car back to the boat (now Jeep) launch, was keeping my eyes focused on the tread marks that outlined the tracks of those who had gone before. Safely. To shore.
Thinking back on the experience, there were lessons that came to mind, despite my own foolish endeavor:
1) It is during those times when warmth in this life seems the most absent, that the Living Water, Christ Jesus, is the strongest in upholding us in our journey. For it is only during those times of pain, struggle and loneliness that we can walk on water (well, in this case, drive.)
2) When we are frightened and we mistakenly start to doubt that the Living Water will hold us up, that He will be enough to carry us and the burden we bear, whether it be 4800 lbs or those trials that Providence has decided to bring our way, we can keep our eyes on the Living Water, and realize that on the damaged surface of the frozen water are the tracks of those who have gone before us, trusting that the Living Water would hold them, and support them, every single inch of the way, until they reached safely to the other side.
3) Even though other people think you're nuts, unless they trust the Water, too, trust in the merits of its character, and experience those merits for themselves, they will never have the same experience, only wondering from the near shore what it would be like to walk on water, with no other way to get to the other side.
4) Driving on the ice, I realized what it meant to put my hope, not in myself, my driving, and definitely not my car, but on the character, the merit if you will, of the frozen water. All along the drive, I kept thinking, "Will it hold?" Faith and works came together in a tangible moment, and I found myself driving, but intent on looking, not at my own driving, but on that which was upholding me, and allowing me to drive. My hope was that the frozen water would perform what it seemed to claim: the ability to keep me from falling (into the lake), all the way to shore.
Soon, there will come a time, when the world will be colder than it has ever been in its history, when we will have to put our full care and complete trust in the Word of God, and leaving everything behind, believe that He can uphold us by His merits. If by that time, we have never tested Him, how will we be able to step out let Him hold you up. Now is the time to prove the Living Water, He can do what He claims. He can hold you up all the way until you reach the far shore. And if we start to doubt, look more intently on Him, and He will reveal all the tracks of those who had gone before us. Today He beckons us to Himself, leave the near shore, and come walk on water, all the way to the other side.
"And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." - Psalm 9:10
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