Life Through the Lens: Mr Pants of Bookpurnong returns

This post was contributed by Kevin Schrapel, and is the author’s personal opinion.

You may have met Mr Pants of Bookpurnong before.

He runs the home of our son Sean and daughter-in-law Connie.

While he absolutely hates car travel, if Sean opens the door of the shed where the tinnie lives, you can be sure the little dog will be continually underfoot with a panting, “I’m coming, I’m coming, right!”

Up the front of the boat is his position, and he is generally very stable unless the boat hits a snag, resulting in a little wet dog – not his fault.

Alternately, when seeing a kangaroo on the river bank, he is well known for launching himself into the water with the express purpose: “I‘m going to get that roo!”

The consequence – a little wet dog – is most definitely his fault.

Of course, it’s not long before a little wet dog is plucked from the water and embarrassingly placed back on the boat.

How often, as we ride through life, feeling safe in our preferred spot, we find ourselves and our lives upended.

An unexpected sickness, a family falling-out, a friendship hits a snag in the relationship and a once-secure and safe part of our life is thrown into turmoil.

All manner of dreams we base our lives on can suddenly be washed away by time or circumstance.

We find ourselves floundering, searching for something or someone to bring normality, some solid ground, into our lives.

Alternatively, like Mr Pants, we might see something desirable – a possession, an experience – and, despite words of warning and advice, we launch ourselves toward it only to find, “Oh dear, I’m floundering out of my depth!”

Jesus did this with his mate Peter (Matthew 14:22-33).

What did Peter do?

“When he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’”

Instead of thrashing about, we should all learn to say, with trust, “Lord, save me!”

Other exciting and worthwhile words of Jesus were the well known, “love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31).

The handle to lift Mr Pants to safety is evident.

Finding the handle that will enable you to help another may take time, effort, perseverance and friendship.

It is what Jesus calls us to do.

The “handle” to lift the life of another might be in the shape of a kind word, the act of a helping hand, a friendly squeeze of a shoulder, a smile.

We can all be life-savers.

But we need to let God and his love train us.

God bless.

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