You walk into a crowded visitors center, as you peer over the smaller park visitors running about, you see a large sign in the center of the room that says, “Old Faithful Geyser, estimated eruption time 9:42am.”
Just above the time is a small text disclaimer that says, “all predictions are +/- 10 minutes.” Just before the predicted time, hundreds of people swarm to the bleachers to see Old Faithful’s eruption.
People are talking, kids running, and everyone is getting ready to film this spectacular event. You’ve heard about geysers, there are all these people here, so you feel it must be worth the trip. You see a bit of movement inside the cone of the geyser, the crowd murmurs with excitement. The movement stops and goes away. Nearly everyone checks their watch or phone to see if it is time.
9:41…. Any second now.
You see movement again from the geyser, and this time it doesn’t go down, it keeps climbing, it goes high in the air, far above everyone who is filming and standing in your way. People are scrambling to take selfies to document that they were indeed at Old Faithful. There may be some “oohs and awws,” but not many. The eruption ends a few minutes after its start, and everyone walks away.
Few ever continue on to see another geyser, and for some of us, we are left feeling cheated. Old Faithful was cool, but not THAT cool. Thinking of how you had to fight the crowds, bison traffic jams, and crabby kids all for… 1 ½ minute? Maybe 5 minutes if you get to see a long one?
The predictability of Old Faithful makes it feel mechanical, like an amusement park ride, it doesn’t feel like nature, it’s TOO predictable.
For those fortunate few who move past Old Faithful and observe other possibly more intimate geysers like Grand, Daisy, Riverside, Lonestar, or Beehive, Old Faithful can become a bit of a joke.
While waiting for Beehive (which goes off only once every day), you may see 3 or 4 Old Faithful’ eruptions off in the distance. Some say, “There goes another Old Faithful.” or “I’ve sat through 3 Old Faithful’s now.”
The consistency and predictability of Old Faithful cause some to take it for granted. I am one of those. If you could take Old Faithful in a vacuum, 100+ ft high water spraying out of the ground, predictably, for 5 minutes, often causing a rainbow to form in its spray, IT IS BEAUTIFUL.
Then why do we take it for granted?
Because we assume it will always be there, its easy, predictable, and we didn’t have to EARN IT. Geysers that don’t go off as often or regular as Old Faithful, requires lots of patience, hours of sitting and waiting, and there is a sense of pride when you get to see them go off.
You earned those geysers, but Old Faithful doesn’t make you EARN anything. He is always there, always available, and always the same.
We often take for granted God and His forgiveness in this way. We mess up, sin, lie, cheat, steal, and lust and always know that God will forgive us.
It is accessible, easy, predictable, and we don’t have to earn it. It is freely given. After the 10th time of being “forgiven” for your struggles, the wonder and amazement of how God could forgive us become lost to us. Like kids, we throw bigger fits, make bigger messes, so maybe we’ll feel like we get more attention. In Romans 6, Paul says,
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
– Romans 6:1-4
This is a miracle, beyond comprehending. Why would the maker of the universe forgive us? Make us new? Care about us?
This miracle escapes us often daily as we take it for granted. Like Old Faithful God is predictable, He will forgive us, but we can’t take him or his forgiveness for granted. We shouldn’t abuse grace just so we can feel special or thought of, we must relish every ounce of grace we receive and hold in awe and reverence the great power that God has… to forgive our sins.
As much as we might take it for granted, there is nothing else quite so amazing as our sins being forgiven, no matter how many times we see it.
