Pass me the duct tape...

Today's Reading: Mark 9:2-13

Have you ever just blurted out something crazy and wish you could push the rewind button on that conversation? We've all done it. Our mouths get in gear before our brains do and out pops something crazy. Sometimes I even know it is crazy when the first couple of words are spoken but I can't get my mouth to just shut up! Where's a good roll of duct tape when you need one? At least we can be comforted to know that we are not alone in our foolishness, right?

That's one of the reasons I really relate to Peter. He is often in this situation. I can imagine the chagrin on his face as he does it yet again in this story from Mark. It is the story of the transfiguration. Jesus has taken Peter, James and John up on the mountain with Him, and there they get to see Jesus in His radiant glory, along with Moses and Elijah.

I'm not sure what my response would have been but I'd like to think I'd have been too stunned to say anything. Not so Peter though. Verses 5 and 6 say, "Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi,it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)" Poor Peter! Scared half to death and his mouth just jumps into gear. 

There is no response from Jesus recorded here. But we do know what God said, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Maybe this is the answer to getting our mouths into gear before our brains engage. We just need to listen more...listen to Jesus, listen to our spouses, listen to our children, listen to our friends. And especially, listen to those people that God puts into our paths that don't know Jesus. 

If we did that, maybe we wouldn't need the duct tape quite so often!

- Holly Barrett