Presumption of Ease

For those of you who don't really know me, I am not one of those people who is "just waiting for the other shoe to drop."

You know that person right? As soon as something good happens they begin making plans for some negative force to come and steal their candy. I had a pastor friend tell me about a very generous love offering his church gave him on his first anniversary. When I congratulated him, he told me he was "just waiting for the other shoe to drop," and even suggested that his transmission would soon go out in his van. How sad is that? In my opinion, dodging falling shoes is no way to live -- and I don't.

But I'm not one of those "name-it-and-claim-it" people either. I assume you know that group. They believe that if you claim something in JeEEesus name, then it's yours. You merely have to have and maintain the right kind of faith-speak. By faith, you speak your preferred future and you hang on, faithfully speaking it into existence until it comes to pass.

For example, "I'm believing for a new F-150, extended cab with glass packs and a lift kit." I don't even know if such a vehicle exists, but if you want it bad enough and you unleash your faith on it, you can go ahead and make space in your front yard to park it -- it's yours! I could go on and on with the absurdity of this philosophy, but suffice it to say that if your faith system depends on capitalism and a free market economy, then it is at best flawed. The faith that I find presented in the Bible is good whether you live in China or Clearwater.

So what lens am I looking through? My philosophy, for the most part, can be described as a presumption of ease. What does that mean? In my day-to-day affairs I believe that things will come off without a hitch, just as planned. Simply put, I expect things to go my way.

I realized this was one of my core presumptions this past week when life took an unexpected turn. Nikki and I were looking forward to spending a couple of days with two of our closest friends from Oklahoma, the Odoms. They were arriving in Tampa on Tuesday afternoon and then leaving again early Thursday morning. So we planned for a great couple of days. The boys were fired up! It was going to be the best .... What could go wrong? Well, let me tell you ....

Early Tuesday morning at about 3 a.m. I heard the unmistakable sound of sickness, not once but twice! Within 2 minutes of each other, both Landry and Wil had gotten sick. I'm not sure that I will ever forget the questions Nikki asked the moment we realized what was happening, just before we sprung into action: "Can you believe this? What are we going to do with the Odoms?"

The truth is I couldn't believe it. I had not even considered this a possibility. Remember, I live with a presumption of ease. Things like this aren't supposed to happen to me and my family.

Where do I get that idea? Is it a sense of entitlement? I hope not. But in reality, the presumption of anything before God, be it falling shoes, F-150’s, or a life of ease is erroneous. Presuming upon God is elevating our expectations to the place of sovereignty. Our presumption limits God. Then when He blows through our presumptive boundaries, our foundations are shaken and in some cases they crumble.

Job’s three friends lived with a presumption of God. They presumed a quid pro quo reality whereby people get back what they are giving out. If you were good, you received good things. If you were bad, then you would receive bad things.

Bildad epitomizes this philosophy when he says, “Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin. But if you will look to God and plead with the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place .... Surely God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers." (Job 8:3-6, 20)

While there is a law of sowing and reaping, you have to allow space in time for good things to happen to bad people, and bad things to good people. God’s primary concern for us is not what happens to us, but what happens in us. He uses the good and the bad to mold us into the men and women he wants us to be. God can and will use everything to teach us, including the unexpected.

So what did I learn when my week didn’t go as I presumed it would? As my preaching professor used to say, “Don’t never assume nothin'!” Instead, “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18