Jaw Dropping!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

In the summer of 1975, Randy and I set out to my Granddaddy’s beach cottage on Mexico Beach with two other couples, a dog, and Daddy’s boat in tow. This place was, and stil is, dear to my heart because even though it was small, it was the scene of multiple family vacations with cousins and friends. It had only two bedrooms, an attic room, two baths, no air conditioning, a screen porch, kitchen, eating area, and living room. When two families of our cousins were there, the guys had cots everywhere for sleeping, the adults played bridge on the porch til the wee hours, and they slept in the bedrooms. This left us girls to sweated it out upstairs, but it just didn’t matter because it was fun!!

On our trip in June of 1975, we spent a couple of days enjoying the sun and boating with our friends, but on the third night, we all decided to take a trip into Panama City to eat dinner and see the new movie, Jaws.

It is unbelieveable that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the movie, Jaws! The movie which told the story of a great white shark which is terrorizing the small community of Amity by attacking swimmers was a hot ticket for theater goers. The plot follows a group of fishermen, oceanographers, and the town sheriff who set off to capture or kill the great white. It doesn’t take long for them to realize, as the town sheriff remarked, “We are going to need a bigger boat.”

I’m not sure why we saw this movie while we were at the beach, but I will say that the ocean was never the same after that scene where the shark suddenly comes out of the water with his Jaws wide open! It was a jaw dropping moment, which made me jump straight up, and it made us realize that if we were going back out in the ocean on Daddy’s boat, we might need a bigger boat!

There are so many jaw dropping things in this life. Some are awesome, and some are disturbing. Last week, we had the misfortune of being scammed. As we worked to clear it all up, I couldn’t help but find my jaw dropping in disbelief of the ways in which our identities can be compromised these days! It’s pretty disturbing and jaw dropping!

The wars and civil unrest we are experiencing everywhere are jaw dropping especially when we think of the number of innocent lives lost. There is so much bad news these days; however, there are awesome moments in life as well. The wedding of a couple in love, the birth of a brand new baby, the baptism of a new Christian, or the celebration of a birthday just to name a few. These are jaw dropping events!

During the short time He was on this earth, Jesus performed many jaw dropping miracles! In his first miracle, He turned water into wine at a wedding feast revealing his glory and power over creation. In Capernaum, he healed a paralyzed man who was lowered through a roof by his friends and in that moment, He demonstrated His ability to forgive sins and restore health!

Jesus miraculously fed five thousand with just two fish and five loaves of bread highlighting his compassion and ability to provide abundantly. He walked on water, and raised Lazarus from the dead demonstrating his power and solidifying his claim as the resurrection and the life!! He rose from the dead as the final confirmation that He is the Son of God and He offers hope for eternal life for us. Jaw dropping!

Sports writers are sometimes known for their unique ways of describing things. There is one phrase that catches my attention each time I hear it. It is the expression, “Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.” The expression is usually used when a team is down, the odds are impossible, and there is no way under normal circumstances that they can win. Yet, despite the odds, somehow they manage to find something extra within themselves and fight back to claim victory.

The Christians in this world are in a position right now to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat because nothing is impossible with God. We have a Savior who loves to provide us with jaw dropping moments of love, grace, and mercy.