The Floating Ax Head

This passage in II Kings 6:1-7 has me really puzzled. Let me put it here and save you the trouble of looking it up:

"And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.” So he answered, “Go.” Then one said, “Please consent to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.” So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it."

Now, this is placed in between a passage about Elisha's servant, Gehazi, when he becomes greedy and manages to get leprosy as a consequence, and when the Syrian army surrounded where Elisha was, and he prayed that his servant woud see that those who were with them were more than those who were with the army. I understand that all the stories are placed in the Bible for a reason, I'm just grasping for one for this. Yes, it is a miracle that Elisha made the ax head float, but there is something more, and I just don't get it. Any ideas?

TTWWADI

There was a part of the sermon on Sunday at my church where the pastor was reminding us, from II Corinthians 5:7, that we live by faith and not by sight. We do need to move beyond the realm of reason and operate in faith. This is the point that hit hard for me: Just because things are the way they are does not mean that they are the way they should be. He said that in order to do what cannot be done, we need to see what cannot be seen. That's an awesome word right there, because it speaks at settling for what's around us, even though something amazing could be right outside of the box of "the way things are."

One of the most interesting examples hit me between the eyes the next day. I was at a teaching conference, and the opening speaker began to ask why railroad tracks were a certain length apart. The people who designed the railroad modeled them after the axles of wagon wheels. So why were wagon wheels designed that length apart? They were patteren after the carriages in England. Why were those wheels design that way? Because, if they weren't, the axles and wheels tended to break, because of the ruts that were already on the paths and roads. Where did those ruts come from? Way back in the Roman empire, the chariots were designed that way, and the heavy use of them made those ruts. So why were the chariots designed with wheels 8 and some odd feet across? Because that was the width of two horses... er, rear ends. So why do we have train tracks 8 and some odd feet across, with mountain passes and tunnels only a bit wider? Because of horses rears. The term the speaker coined was TTWWADI - that's the way we've always done it.

Now realize that he was talking about methods in education, but man oh man, did I see the connection. Do we limit ourselves to the way things are because that's the way we've always done it, and that's all we know? I am so glad that people haven't, otherwise we wouldn't be where we are today. But personally, what's the status quo in your life, because you can't imagine anything different? That's a dangerous question, I know, because once you break out of TTWWADI, nothing will be the same. Is that a risk you're willing to take?