Old Faithful
It was 1978. His family was young. Two boys two years apart, 14 and 12, and a younger daughter, 9. He made it a point that their yearly family vacations be a memorable thing. Significant. Especially now that the kids were old enough to remember it later on. This year they would be making a trip to Wyoming…almost 1000 miles. In the car. The ultimate road trip.
The sun was hours away from the horizon when they set out. Kids, still in pj’s, were asleep in the back of the station wagon, snuggled down on the mattress he had stuffed down with plenty of blankets and pillows. He prayed they would stay asleep for hours to come. It was a long drive ahead and he wanted to make it in two days.
They found a hotel close by and on the morning of, piled in and drove to their destination.
It was a beautiful day. With family in tow, they pushed through the turnstiles and set out to explore Yellowstone National Park. Map in hand, he guided his family through the world’s first. They drove the car along the roads and saw all kinds of wildlife including bison and elk, walked the boardwalks over and around hot springs, and saw beautiful canyons and lush forests.
But what he wanted his family to see most of all, was Old Faithful. The most famous of all the geysers in the park. It’s called Old Faithful because they say it blows every 90 minutes or so pretty regularly.
So, off they went, along with about a hundred or so other people that wanted to watch. When they got there, a park ranger was talking about the history of Old Faithful and what to expect and how to behave around the geyser.
They gathered around with the group…he tried to get his kids toward the front of the crowd. And they waited.
At first it was just a sputtering and spitting that came from its mouth. Then the eruption started, shooting high straight up into the sky! Water came bursting out of the ground like a tea kettle blowing its top.
Amazing!
He had seen it when he was a kid and his father brought him, now his children were seeing it for the first time. The looks on their faces made his heart glad. They were enraptured.
He wondered if they knew. If they knew the science. That it was because geysers are usually located near active volcanic areas. Their formation relies heavily on the presence of magma. When surface water, like from a river or lake, goes down deep into the Earth and makes contact with magma, the water boils and makes steam and shoots right back up to the surface again. At least, that’s how his father explained it to him.
And that’s how he would explain it to his kids. He would make sure they knew. It was his job, as their father, to make sure they know. He would tell them. So they would remember.
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”
Isaiah 42:6-7
I got to thinking. What exactly is it about this phenomenon, this explosion, this overflow that keeps drawing people to it year after year after year? It’s certainly a wonderful display of beauty and grace, but the real story is what lies beneath the surface…what happens on the inside of the Earth. Because what happens on the inside of the Earth is the catalyst for what happens on the outside.
Think about that.
Think about how that correlates to our lives. We want to have meaningful lives. We may wonder why we are here. Who are we? There is no mistake in God’s creation. Then think about purposeful living. We were created to serve our King. And then imagine intentional living. What do you want to do with your life, your time, your money? Having life in abundance means to have overflow, and the overflow impacts others. Just like Old Faithful.
So how about we take that same “scientific explanation” from the story and plug in some different words. Words that might have a different impact:
Believers need to be located near the Good Shepherd, because their growth relies heavily on the presence of Christ. When circumstances (in the marketplace, for example) go down deep into their life and come into contact with Christ, He flows through their spirit. This creates a combination of meaning, purpose and intention that is sent back to the surface. The effect is then seen by all those around as an amazing overflow of the Spirit of God.
This overflow then draws people to you! They cannot help but come and see. Your life will be a wonderful display of beauty and grace, because the real story…your story…is what lies beneath the surface. Because what happens on the inside, Christ’s Spirit in you, is the catalyst for what happens on the outside, abundant life. A life with meaning, purpose, and intention.
A life that cannot help but overflow.
So, you need to tell them. Tell them so that they will remember.
Dear Father. I do not want to sputter and spit! I want to shoot straight up into the sky! Help me to overflow with the Truth of You! Give me the strength, courage and grace to tell the real story…my story. Help me to show Christ’s spirit in me. To tell. To make sure they remember. Amen.
