I once knew a man who sold real estate in the LA basin in the early 80s; he was fairly industrious and looked at everything in a calculated manner. He suggested that the secret to selling real estate is realizing that what you are selling is not a home or house but a location within the context of the city. He said when it comes down to it, buyers only care about two things: square footage and location. Because of this, when he would sell a property, he would highlight these features, noting not the home’s features but its proximity to different amenities. And especially in California, what became the most significant factor was the zip code… 90210, anyone?
His assessment always resonated with me. How often do we find ourselves fretting over the minor details, when in reality, they are insignificant in the grand scheme of things? People might reject a house because of the color of the walls or the type of flooring, when they should be focusing on the elements that truly matter and cannot be easily changed.
His assessment always resonated with me, so often we are distressed with the minor details when a bigger picture is more appropriate. This sentiment is echoed in the story of the disciples in Luke chapter 8, who were concerned with the details and not looking at the true location of their lives.
Luke 8:22-25 – “One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”
It might seem unreasonable to imagine that the insignificant details are “winds and raging waves.” However, in this narrative context, these issues were minor inconveniences. Jesus’ words are a sharp reminder for us, “Where is your faith?”
At our most difficult moments, we are overwhelmed and consumed by trivialities. Meanwhile, Jesus is unaffected by these crashing waves. We hear it in his question. The disciples’ faith was in their own abilities, the craftsmanship of their boat, and their earthly location (the middle of the sea). These seemed like notable issues.
· “The storm is too rough.”
· “The ship is falling apart.”
· “We are too far from shore.”
“Where is your faith?” It is the perfect response. If your faith is in the details, you will always struggle. However, we will drown in the minutia of life if we perceive that our faith is tied to the trivialities of this world. We can find calm within the storm, but only if our faith is in the right place.
My realtor friend had it right to only point out the location and square footage; everything else is insignificant. For us in our faith, we need to think about the location of our faith. Is it in earthly things, or does our faith have a heavenly zip code ?