Old Faithful

I recently read something that I did not know about the familiar and famous geyser named Old Faithful.  I am using it as an illustration in my next sermon.  I thought it might also make an interesting blog.

Old Faithful is America's most famous geyser, located in Yellowstone National Park.  For many years, the time between eruptions was somewhere between 35-80 minutes.  Then the interval shifted and sometimes the distance between eruptions was as much as 100 minutes.  Geologists think that some earthquakes shifted the earth's crust enough to affect the natural underground plumbing that feeds geysers.

For me the marvelous lesson is---even for the most reliable and responsible and committed--sometimes there will be earthquakes that interfere with our ability our our willingness to keep our commitments exactly as we always have.  There are many kinds of earthquakes.  It could be an injury, an illness, an unexpected challenge, pain, an accident,or a loss--that throws us off our normal routine or predictable patterns.  We might be momentarily disrupted, but are still faithful.

Life is about commitment.  Parents to their children.  Spouses to their spouses.  Believers to their beliefs.   Hopefully, each one of us has a person or a cause to which we are fully committed.   When it comes to commitment,  it is good to be predictable!