Walking with God is an adventure in paradox. It is like seeing roosters in Boca Raton. Boca is beautiful. God has graced us with an endless canopy of blue skies and a landscape that is perpetually green! Our eastern border is the Atlantic Ocean; to the west stretches the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. We relish the scenic beauty of the Florida Intracoastal Waterway, which snakes its way through our city. With respect to the amenities we're not doing too badly. Boca is a parade of plenty, so there are some things you just expect to see:
- Multi-millon dollar waterfront homes
- Bentleys, Maseratis, Beamers, and Mercedes
- Expensive prep schools
- Plastic (the kind that spends and the kind that costs)
Yes, there are some things you expect to see in Boca -- and then there are some things you don't, like a rooster on St. Andrews Boulevard.
Last Saturday I was walking home from my office in the early afternoon when I spotted Mr. Cock-a-doodle-do. Talk about cognitive dissonance! This is Boca, land of big boats, big houses, and fancy cars. Something was afoul. As I pondered this paradox, it reminded me of what happens when we walk with God. We see things people just don't expect to see:
- We see people go from death to life (Ephesians 2:1-5).
- We see the weak become strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).
- We see people give and then receive (Luke 6:37-38).
- We see the upside of down times (2 Corinthians 1:8-11).
- We see the humble exalted (James 4:10).
- We see the joy is in the giving more than in the receiving (Acts 20:35).
Walk with God and you will see things you don't expect -- things even more amazing than roosters in Boca Raton!