© 2000 Rev. Gregory Young
© 2000 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
It was a beautiful summer day and Clarence was enjoying rowing the boat with his lovely girlfriend, anticipating the picnic they would have when they got to the island in the center of the lake. These were the days when young men and young ladies wore more than shorts and t-shirts out in public.
Clarence had donned a spiffy suit with a high shirt collar, and his girl companion had on a long dress with billowing petticoats underneath. Clarence manfully pulled on the wooden oars as his date sat coolly under her parasol. Though the steamy heat of the summer day began to wring sweat from him, he was so hypnotized by his girlfriend’s beauty he was not troubled. Finally he reached their location, dragged the boat onto the shore, and helped his girlfriend out of the boat.
He placed all of their supplies beneath a spreading shade tree, and as he prepared to sit down and enjoy the coolness of the shade, the girl said gently, “Honey, you forgot the ice cream.” “Ice cream” stammered Clarence, recalling that the two had planned an ice cream dessert. So the suitor got back into the boat and stroked his way back across the lake. He found a grocery store, bought some ice cream, and headed back for the cool shade where his date sat.
Upon arriving at the island once more, his girlfriend had another friendly reminder; “Clarence, honey, you forgot the chocolate syrup.” Clarence was in love. So he got back into the boat, grabbed the hot oars once more, and set sail for the grocery store on the shore. He bought the syrup, returned to the boat, and once again began rowing in the hot afternoon sun. But this time the frustration of it all got to him, and half way to the island he put up the oars and began to think. There must be a better way.
By the end of the afternoon, Clarence Evinrude had decided to invent the outboard motor. The girl whose reminders had inspired his creativity became his wife, and the company he started used the above story in it’s first ads for the revolutionary new outboard motor.
This little story really represents life and the responses we make to it. Some of us are still rowing back and forth and become exhausted, but others — the Clarence Evinrudes of the world — instead of throwing up their hands in futility, say to themselves, “There must be a better way,” and go about finding a solution to the challenge set before them.
These alternatives also apply to our spiritual attitudes, our faith. We courageously struggle to buck the winds of adversity but often find that our efforts are unproductive and exhausting. Some of us then sit in our “boats” saying, “What’s the use, it’s hopeless” — and this attitude is hopeless. Others of us say, “Let’s regroup and think of a creative solution to this situation — there’s got to be a better way!”
There is a better way. We have a whole universe of spiritual resources to empower us to more effective living, if we would only draw from them. Having an active faith fuels hope and creativity and opens up a whole new world to us. A strong faith keeps life from closing in around us when the going gets tough. Our Creator designed us to grow in our abilities to meet challenges courageously and creatively.
Many of us live behind a veil of fear that distorts reality. In the famous stage play, “The Man of La Mancha,” there is a scene in which Sancho, Don Quixote’s side-kick, is seen hanging fearfully from a window ledge. Sancho is terrified to let go because it is nighttime and very dark, and he imagines that it is a great distance to the ground below. Sancho holds all night, and when the veil of darkness is lifted by the dawn’s first light, Sancho looks down and discovers that his feet are only a few inches above the ground! Had he experimented by pointing his toes, he would have reached the ground. Often, like Sancho, we are prisoners of our fear. We imagine things are much worse than they, in reality, are.
No matter how difficult our situation may be-when we have exhausted our human resources — the indwelling Spirit of God can lead us in miraculous accomplishments in our lives. We are inspired when we see individuals who have overcome such, seemingly, unsurmountable odds. Byrun Janus, one of the world’s great piano virtuosos, is such a person.
Janus was partially paralyzed and scarred from a childhood accident. He cannot make a fist. His right wrist motion is limited to 40%. The little finger of his left hand is numb. The joints on the other nine fingers are fused; there is mobility only in the middle finger of his left hand. In spite of these handicaps, he became a brilliant pianist!
In recent times, he developed crippling arthritis and became incapacitated by fear of losing his ability to perform, which was his great love and sense of identity. He tried anything that might help: acupuncture, allergy testing, biofeedback, faith healing, even a pin in his ear. Nothing seemed to work. But he said to himself, “There must be a better way.” In the failure of human resources, he sought God’s guidance — no bargains, no begging, he asked for help and strength and he let go of his anxiety and fear.
A remarkable thing happened to Byrun Janus. Within a brief period of seven months, he learned to cope with his disease and grow in spite of it. His ability to play was restored to a level that he had never experienced before. Looking at his hands, one would never believe that he could play with such dexterity and warmth. When his life really came alive, so did his creative energy and talent.
Through the life and creativity of Byrun Janus, we are given a vision of what the human spirit can accomplish when strengthened by the spiritual resources made available to us by our Heavenly Father. The great psychologist, Eric Fromm, once lamented that many human beings have died before they were fully born. There is a better way-pray that we may be open and receptive to this spiritual guidance and transformation.