Red Sea Rules #5

Right now, I'm in the middle of reading a science fiction trilogy by C.S. Lewis. You know, the Narnia guy, the one who wrote many Christian classics like Mere Christianity. Also the man who didn't read the news because, if anything was worthwhile, he knew his friends would inform him. I love this guy.

But the trilogy... I started the last book last night, and I need a break. The last two books had too many speeches and the print in this book was surprisingly small.

So I picked up one of my favorites. It's from the "stunt non-fiction" genre, a semi-memoir in which the author writes about a specific experience. For example, "Wild," the story of a woman who hiked the Pacific Coast Trail by herself, similar to "A Walk in the Woods," written by the hilarious Bill Bryson about his walk along the Appalachian trail. "The Happiness Project" is another favorite of mine. In this one, the author spends a year trying out new habits and practices to infuse her life with happiness. These are real life people trying unusual things and offering entertainment and insight.

My current choice is "A Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs. He's a non-practicing Jew who decides to spend a year following all the laws in the Bible. Not all the rules all at once, because there are over 700, but following them all at some point during the year. There are parts that made me laugh out loud. And I learned a lot about the Bible, both silly rules and important insights into laws and Jewish history. It's a nice break from the sci fi trilogy.

Today, my recreational reading is relevant to our Red Sea Rules because one of Jacobs' advisors tells him a story about a Jewish midrash, which is "a story or legend that is not in the Bible proper, but which deals with Biblical events."

According to his advisor, the midrash about the Israelites at the Red Sea says "Moses lifted up his rod and the sea did not part. The Egyptians were closing in and the sea wasn't moving. So a Hebrew named Nachshon just walked into the water. He waded up to his ankles, then his knees, then his waist, then his shoulders. And right when the water was about to get up to his nostrils, the sea parted. The point is, sometimes miracles occur only when you jump in."

Here's Rule #5: Stay calm and confident, and give God time to work.

Isn't that what Nachshon did, walking into the water? Although maybe he was pushing the issue a little - letting the water get right up to his nostrils. Or maybe not, since our Christian tradition teaches that God is rarely early, but never late. Nachshon didn't NEED the waters parted until his nostrils were submerged, and the midrash doesn't indicate he was anything other than calm and confident.

This is my favorite rule so far. Did I say that yesterday? I could have. :)

But THIS rule: this one incorporates so many things that I've learned, that have enriched my life and my faith during these two years of cancer. 

First: Do not fear. This I love because it's the most common command in the Bible. The author of Red Sea Rules counted 149 occurrences. I've heard others say 365 - one for every day of the year. Regardless, a lot. And often accompanied by a reassurance that God is with us and on our side.

Not being afraid is a tall order when we're facing difficulty. As I mentioned yesterday, sometimes a three word prayer, usually "I trust You," was all I could fit in between my anxious thoughts. But repeatedly inserting that prayer in between my worries made a bigger and bigger hole in them, and eventually the tables turned to calm and confidence.

Second: this rule is based partly on Exodus 14:14, which I mentioned on an earlier day: "The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still." Still is not worried. Still is trusting. Still is, as the author says, leaving room for God to work.

And leaving room for God to work is one of my biggest cancer learnings... and something I'll have to keep revisiting for probably my whole life. You see, I'm a planner. I love to figure out how to get something done. In fact, I sometimes make a plan just to make a plan, and never execute it because I love the process of creating a solution.

So when cancer put a year between graduating from nursing school and being physically able to get a nursing job, I freaked out a little. A year gap reduced my marketability drastically. I had great contacts in the field I wanted to go into (cancer, aka oncology), and I had some good interviews, but they wanted me to have more distance between being treated and giving treatments.

Finally, I opened my hands and released the situation to God. He brought me down this path - both pursuing a nursing career and having cancer - and I decided to trust Him to bring me to the next phase of finding a job.

Well, the job I got was in a field I'd never considered. In fact, at first it was a disaster and I almost quit. But it was a job, and thankfully I enjoy it now. A couple months after I was hired, three different opportunities in oncology came along. THREE. I applied for them all and worked my contacts, even though the timing seemed all wrong. I'm still waiting to hear anything back, but I'm staying calm and confident that God has called me and prepared me for that specialty, and He will make it happen at the right time.

It's pretty sweet, actually, to let go of the pursuit and rest in God's timing. I'd like it to be now - I've certainly prayed a lot of impatient prayers - but there's peace in releasing control of this to God and giving Him time to work.

So if this rule seems unreachable - being calm and confident and letting go in the midst of difficulty - don't despair. It takes resolve: intentionally and repeatedly committing your situation to God. But I can vouch that it's possible. Don't forget rule #4: Pray. And stick with it.