Be Somewhere Else

Many, if not most persons reading this are probably not aware of the type of work that I did while going through college and seminary. I was employed by the same company in Chattannooga, TN where I ultimately became the Production Manager and Purchasing Agent. In those days however, I worked in the plant. I spent forty-eight to fifty-six hours per week welding, driving fork lifts, and operating heavy hydraulic looms. It was not my idea of life employment.

Now, please don't misunderstand. I do not have anything at all against blue collar workers; they are necessary. They are in many ways the true backbone of our culture. To be quite honest, one of my pet peeves about contemporary society is the over-glorification of the white collar job. Just because a person works with their hands does not mean they are less intelligent, less necessary, or more easily replaced than a person who works at a desk. As a matter of fact, quite often we find just the opposite to be true. But I digress, that is another blog entirely.

All I am saying is that I did not want to continue in that same line of work my entire life. That was illustrated by the small sign I had taped on my locker. It was a picture of ALF (remember him) saying: "Be somewhere else!"

James Taylor, one of my favorite singers, has a song that speaks about changing your location. It talks about going to "Carolina - - - in my mind."

Have you ever had that desire? The desire to be somewhere else. Maybe you're facing a situation that is so stressful, you go to your own "Carolina" in your mind as a means of escape. It is easier to daydream and live in fantasy than to live in reality.

Jesus felt that same way one time. It occurred in the garden as He prayed. He said: "Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me."

Do you see what was taking place? As He agonized over taking on the sin of the world and then being separated from the presence of the Father, He thought: "Father, I would rather be with You, than to be here, facing this eminent separation." He wanted to "be somewhere else."

The key to understanding that scenario is the concluding remark found in Luke 22:42: "Yet, not my will, but yours be done." Jesus moved beyond the desire to see things change. He moved out of the gloom of the present. He moved into the solid foundation that only comes when you totally release yourself to the Father's omnipotent hand.

Guess what? There is no safer place in this universe. If the Son of God found His rest in the Father's will and His ability to control all things, should we seek anything less? No. I do not understand it all. Nor do I understand everything in my own life. God never promised I would. He simply asks me to trust what He is about.

He asks you to do the same thing Jesus did: trust Him and then yield to His will. With that trust comes great peace; apart from that there is no peace. Instead of asking to "Be somewhere else," let's all seek the Father's will where we are.