Not Supposed To Be There

I was driving to church for the 8:00 am service.
I love that time of morning.
The quiet country roads are even more serene in those early morning hours.
Experiencing the autumnal beauty refreshes my spirit.

I took the little, windy country road that is a more direct route to the main road.
Some of the curves are blind curves.
Extreme caution is necessary.
I don’t mind being cautious because there is so much to see on this particular road.

I love to pass an old farm with a beautifully restored farmhouse.
Its many outbuildings intrigue me.
How I would love to meet the owners of this farm.
They moved in recently but I have yet to see them.

I know the woman in this farmhouse and I are kindred spirits.
She has installed a Little Free Library on the other side of the road, across from her porch.
How I want to stop and see what books she has inside.
It is an interesting place for a Little Library, since there is not much traffic on this road.

However, on this particular Sunday morning there was traffic.
Except this kind of traffic would never take a book from the Little Library.
As I turned onto the road and crested a small hill, I was face to face with a cow.
A cows had gotten out of the pasture and was walking nonchalantly on the road.

I never realized how large cows really are until I saw this one in front of me.
The cow had a blue tag on its ear.
I drove at a snail’s pace as I passed the cow.
I didn’t want to hit it or startle it so it would hit me.

It really was a beautiful animal.
It’s chestnut brown color, with patches of white, seemed to match the autumn beauty.
I successfully passed the cow.
I looked back in my rear view mirror and saw the cow taking a leisurely stroll down the road.

I was uncertain as to where the cow belonged.
The farmhouse that I love so much have horses on the property.
Their fence has warnings posted about getting a shock if you get too close.
I never saw cows on their property.

There are a few other farms on this road, so the cows could have belonged to one of them.
All I knew was that the cow was not supposed to be there.
Cows do not usually take a Sunday morning stroll on a country road.
The cow was out of place, out of the confines of a fence.

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius! Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea…”

While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate.  They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?” The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along.  The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence.  But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people.  He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.  So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” (Acts 10:1-6, 17-22, 23-29)

Cornelius was a Gentile.
Jews did not invite Gentiles into their home.
Jews did not go into Gentile houses.
However when God is at work, everything is different.

Cornelius wanted to hear what Peter had to say.
He wanted Peter to explain the way of God to him and his family.
Cornelius and his family needed to hear about Jesus.
Cornelius and his family needed to hear the Gospel.

Like the cow on the road, Peter was not supposed to be there.
When God is at work, the boundaries that were in place do not matter.
Jews are with Gentiles, blacks are with whites, young are with old.
When God is at work, the Gospel is what brings people together.

The cow was not supposed to be taking a stroll on the road.
Peter was not supposed to be in Cornelius’ house.
When the Gospel is preached, all those divisions go away.
There is true unity in Jesus and salvation in no one else.

2 responses to “Not Supposed To Be There”

1. So true Gina…the boundaries do not matter!

   Reply

   • Amen, Sherie.
     God breaks down the barriers that, so often, we put up.
     Gina

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