A New Devotion - Smith Brothers Cough Drops

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. It's based on the passage below. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

Mark 6:47-56 [Contemporary English Version]

Later in the evening he was still there by himself, and the boat was somewhere in the middle of the lake. He could see that the disciples were struggling hard, because they were rowing against the wind. Not long before morning, Jesus came toward them. He was walking on the water and was about to pass the boat.

When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost, and they started screaming. All of them saw him and were terrified. But at this same time he said, “Don't worry! I am Jesus. Don't be afraid.” He then got into the boat with them, and the wind died down. The disciples were completely confused. Their minds were closed, and they could not understand the true meaning of the loaves of bread.

Jesus and his disciples crossed the lake and brought the boat to shore near the town of Gennesaret. As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus. So they ran all over that part of the country to bring their sick people to him on mats. They brought them each time they heard where he was. In every village or farm or marketplace where Jesus went, the people brought their sick to him. They begged him to let them just touch his clothes, and everyone who did was healed.

Smith Brothers Cough Drops

When I was a kid, I loved Smith Brothers Cough Drops. Well, to be completely honest, I loved the wild cherry Smith Brothers Cough Drops. Man, they were great. I mean, not only did they come in these cool almost antique looking boxes, I thought they tasted better than most of the other candies mom would carry in her purse, you know, like Life Savers or Certs. Of course, this was in the time before Tic Tacs and Altoids. Unfortunately, since mom was a nurse, she wouldn’t just dish them out like candy, because, in her opinion, they had a specific purpose. You see, to get a cough drop, you had to have a cough, because they were literally a means to an end. Therefore, they shouldn’t be seen as just another mint, no matter how good the wild cherry tasted.

And I’ll tell you, I think the same kind of thing was going on with the miracle in the passage we just read. You see, according to the Evangelist Mark, the disciples were crossing the lake, but because they were rowing against the wind, the crossing was a real struggle. And that’s when Jesus came, walking on the water and calming the gale. And even though this was certainly a miracle that both confused and frightened those disciples, it wasn’t the end of the story. I mean, after the winds were calmed, the disciples and Jesus were able to cross the lake. And on the other side, Jesus healed a whole bunch of people. You see, just like those cough drops that I loved so much, the miracle on the lake was actually the means to a greater end, namely, Jesus healing the sick.

And I believe we should take the same perspective when we encounter the miraculous in our lives. Regardless of what it might specifically be, when God intervenes in some way that might cause us to feel a little confused and frightened, we might want to consider what greater good the miracle could enable us to accomplish. You see, rather than assuming that God is just giving us a break as some kind of gift or reward, we can intentionally look for what we’re now able to do for those who might need our help. In other words, maybe we should view the miraculous as something more than spiritual candy, just like my mom challenged me to do with those Smith Brothers Cough Drops.