When I was in grammar school and my mother said, "Do your homework", it usually meant, "Get busy and get that homework done or there'll be no dessert for you tonight"!  I can’t say I was all that eager to do it, but if I wanted that sweet treat later on, I got busy and accomplished the task.  When I would say, "Do your homework" to my teenage sons, it was often met with a groan and after some procrastination it usually got done.  Any time someone says, "Do your homework" to me now, I know it's less about the academic kind and more about research for an upcoming purchase because, like most people, I don't want to spend my hard-earned money on a product that won't last.  “Homework” of the commercial kind involves price shopping, reading reviews and comparing different companies who produce the same thing.  Which one will be best for me?

            Homework is critical when facts are involved, for without the proper information, one can draw a conclusion that is false and inaccurate.  Nowhere is this more crucial than when reading God's Word.  Such was the case concerning a devotional about Cornelius, written by a well-known author, which a friend sent to me a while back.  The story of Cornelius is found in Acts 10.  The author took great pleasure in pointing out that Cornelius, as a centurion in the Roman army, was a "bad guy", stating that he "hung out with the wrong crowd, ate the wrong food, and swore allegiance to Caesar".  But the author was wrong.  Scripture is very clear that Cornelius was quite the opposite!  Verse 2 introduces us to a "devout man who feared God", "gave alms to the Jewish people" and "prayed continually".  Jews to this day consider almsgiving and prayer (along with fasting) as the most important aspects of piety and godliness.  One commentary even noted that because Cornelius is mentioned by name it meant that his demonstration of faith was well-known among the early believers.  That doesn't sound like a bad guy to me.

            The story of Cornelius also shows us an interesting side of human nature.  Although the author attempted to paint a wonderful picture of Peter's devotion to purity, a cultural nuance was completely overlooked.  Yes, Peter did desire to remain pure before God and therefore refused to eat the unclean animals (Lev. 11) in his vision (v. 14), but it must be noted that he was staying in the home of a tanner, a profession with repeated exposure to dead animals making one unclean.  This was certainly something that was forbidden in the Torah (Num. 19:11-13).  This does not mean that Peter was an out and out hypocrite, but it does show that the Lord had already started to work on Peter's strict view of who he should associate with.  This little detail helps to direct you to the main point of this story, but the author "didn't do the homework" and therefore missed it completely.

            The conclusion drawn in the devotional I received was that "in our lifetime, you and I are going to come across discarded people..." and that it will be up to us as to how we will interact with them.  But this was not the case with Cornelius.  True, he was not part of the "covenant" community (i.e. Jewish), but he was hardly discarded!  As a commander over a unit of 100 men he was respected and powerful.  As a God-fearer he maintained his Gentile identity, but worshipped the God of Israel and demonstrated his faith through charity and prayer.  And may I point out that one is hardly “discarded” when an angel shows up to hold a conversation with you (vs. 3)!  Cornelius appears in our Scriptures at a pivotal turning point in sacred history when the faith community expands just as the prophets and psalms foretold (Ps.22:27-28, Ps.66:4; Mic. 4:2; Zech. 8:20-23).  Rather than being "discarded", Cornelius was a person on the doorstep of a more complete faith.  He understood God, and through Peter's preaching, he came to know Jesus.

            What we learn from this passage is not whether or not we should interact with discarded people.  If we do our homework, we learn that this passage speaks about the advancement of God's kingdom.  God speaks to both Cornelius (who sends for Peter) and to Peter (who goes where God sends him).  Neither of them initiated the process but both participated in God's work.  God is looking for eager hearts and willing servants.  When you put the two together, the kingdom grows.  The point of this passage then is whether or not we will participate in the work God initiates.  A popular cable game show from the 1990’s, "Cash Cab" always ended its quirky and urban introduction with one pertinent question, “Are you in?”  God is asking us that same question.  Are you in?

Ann LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; [email protected]; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre

            It was August of 2013 when I originally wrote these words: I don’t usually tell you the titles of these weekly pieces but I do name them and this one has to be shared~ The Trip I Did Not Plan.  Who would have thought that when I set out to meet my newest grandson on June 29th that I would end up with two new tires, a broken speedometer and a new battery!  But about 150 miles into the trip, while passing a slow moving truck in the center lane, I heard a loud POP and I knew immediately that I’d just gotten a flat!  I quickly pulled over on to the shoulder and while my mind was racing as to what to do next, I noticed that someone else had pulled over ahead of me.  As I stepped out of the car to assess the damage (and boy was that shredded tire a shock!), a kind gentleman came up to offer assistance. We decided it would be best to call AAA.  Three and ½ hours later I was on my way again thanks to a tow truck/auto shop owner who had my tires in stock (coincidence?) and noticed that a second tire was about to give out too.  And I’d like to say that the rest of the trip was uneventful and worry free but it wasn’t!  Just after crossing over the Pennsylvania/Ohio border, the speedometer decided it had lived a long and productive life and died.  Four days later, the battery did the same.  Poor Jeff, every time I called home I could hear the unspoken question, “What broke now?”  This was definitely NOT the trip I’d planned!  But, I eventually arrived in Michigan.  The week was filled with lots love and came rapidly to an end!”

            On April 4th of this year I took another unexpected journey which resulted in a 7 week interruption of Ready for the Road Ahead.  After several days of extremely labored breathing my husband brought me to the emergency room of our local hospital.  X-rays were taken of my lungs, blood drawn and vitals recorded.  The diagnosis was what we’d expected.  I had Covid 19.  What we didn’t expect was that my case was THE WORST they’d seen to date.  I was put in an induced coma with a respirator taking over my breathing for the next 9 days.  The hospital staff told Jeff to prepare for the worst.  I might not be coming home from the hospital- ever.  Over the course of those next 9 days many prayers for a complete restoration were lifted up on my behalf and God in His most gracious and loving kindness heard and answered them.  I was expected to be in the ICU for approximately 7 weeks (if I survived coming off of the ventilator) but miraculously I went home in 13 days!  This was definitely NOT a trip I’d planned either but it became a life-changing leg of my journey.

              Life does have its unexpected twists and turns. Sometimes you set out on a quest or heading towards a goal and get totally tossed about by an unexpected event like a blown out tire or a life-threatening illness. Other times the road is filled with detours or even a dead stop and you wonder if it's really worth making the journey at all.   If you think about all the hazards and unexpected trials life may throw your way you may not even want to venture forth at all lest “something goes wrong” like a busted speedometer or catastrophic illness.  After the trial-fraught trip to Michigan I wrote, “I guess after this trip, I've learned that the bumps might not necessarily be fun, but the fear of encountering them is worse; and you will always find kindness when a stranger stops to help or a service person does their job well. The bottom line is this- a trip filled with bumps does look better in the rear view mirror, but unless you leave the house, there will be nothing in the mirror to see. And if you don't leave, you may never experience the joy of where the journey brings you. So, it's best to pack your bags and be as prepared as you can.”

            It’s true that road trips are far easier to prepare for than the battle I faced when the Covid diagnosis was positive.  You can’t really prepare for unpredictable turns in your life even though insurance agents claim their policies will protect you from those unexpected medical emergencies.  Whether you’re heading out on the road in your car or heading into treatment setting forth on that kind of journey puts you in good company with a number of Biblical people:  Abraham, Daniel, the disciples and Paul to name a few.   My post in 2013 concluded with these words, “Once settled in at my son’s house after the tire fiasco, I was reminded of Paul’s second missionary journey.  Instead of reaching his projected target of the west coast of Asia Minor, God redirected him to Macedonia.  I thought about Paul’s original destination.  Had he reached it at that time we may never have had several New Testament letters that Paul wrote to churches he planted on that re-routed trip (Philippians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians) or Luke’s account of the detour in Acts 16.”  No one can predict or plan for the journey your life will take you on- only God knows those particulars.  But as Hebrews 11:1-16 relates those who take this journey in faith will see God’s rewards when they reach their final destination.  Bumps and trials, no matter how small or how extreme they are, are not something we look forward to, but God is in the midst of them!  Let me encourage you to watch and see what He is about to do (Heb. 12:1-2).  Who knows- you may just witness a miracle.

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; [email protected]; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre