When Life Happens
Over the past weeks we have ridden the a big-boy rollercoaster of events for at least a few laps.
First, I danced with COVID in January ... not fun at all. Then, at the end of January, Claudia, my sister, and a good friend couple left for a 3X pandemic-delayed cruise in the Caribbean. What fine time in a warm place with good people on a smaller ship being treated special.
On return, I looped into another adventure with a planned surgery to chase down and expel a bit more cancer in my belly. This turned out to be a fairly big deal that kept me in hospital for a week, and just like the T-shirt I bought in Antigua, my new scar can serve as a reminder as often as I step out of the shower (I'm thinking of a tattoo of a zipper to cover it...).
Talk about whiplash on the coaster. But isn’t that just like life? We swing from one thing to the next, often without time to digest the first before being thrown into the arms of the next. It is at this juncture we must choose either to be people of faith, or not.
The scriptures are full of stories from believers just going along and living faith when life happens. So many times we read injunctions like:
Don’t be afraid
Never tire in doing good things
Run the race with endurance
A good-as-any question to ask when we read scripture is, "Why is that included?" The three examples noted here stand in front of human nature. When stuff goes sideways, we get scared. After doing the same good things over and over without any apparent harvest, we grow weary. And when unanswered prayer or unchanged circumstances dog our way, our endurance can fade. So, God says, "Look up! See me! Let that fill you with hope and energy and enable you to persevere." When we read of Jesus or one of the letters prompting us toward being better regardless of circumstances, it is hard to fight against natural tendencies to lay down and quit.
Of the three listed above, I like the last one maybe the most. It challenges me to understand that this moment is what matters, but it is only a moment. A race has many moments, and one of the keys to success is being able to endure whatever you face. Most commonly, when challenges wade into our plans we look for and pray for and ask others to pray for our relief, which is normal and natural. But when God allows that challenge to remain, how does our faith hold up? What might “endurance” look like then?
Honestly, my ability to endure runs hot and cold, given the challenge or events I face, or with the state of my heart toward Jesus. The more I/we lean into our faith as a real thing, rather than just our label or eternal insurance card, I find the more I can endure. I can best weather storms when I keep focused on my captain who has a firm grip on the rudder. When awake in a hospital room at 3am, or in a difficult marriage, or watching the slow disintegration of a friendship, we can live what St. John of the Cross calls, The dark night of the soul.
Alistair Begg has this to say about Christian endurance,
Endurance is a key indicator of spiritual fitness.
Not a bad self-test for you and me to take along the way. We can ask ourselves questions like:
How is my perseverance (trusting God in the midst of this thing) showing itself?
What might be at the heart of my shrinking back in the face of hardship?
If I were someone else looking in on my situation, what counsel might I give?
How does my view of perseverance reflect my vision of Jesus?
Grit certainly builds endurance, but only for a while. Everyone breaks down in time. The real source of a believer's ability to push through seems twofold:
A clear picture of and a firm grasp on the love of God for you as you, right where you are. You are his beloved.
A conviction that nothing you encounter is beyond the reach of Jesus, and that he will use it for your good and his glory.
So, friends, let's encourage one another as often as we encounter one another. You have no idea what battles rage inside the person before you, but they will be helped by your words and actions that say, "I see you. I welcome you in. Would you like me to walk with you for a bit?" As for me, many of you have asked how I am doing, and the honest answer is that I am better every day. Getting back will take some time, but my outlook is good. And it is good to be back with you by email on Tuesdays (or the blog on Wednesdays).
Music anyone?
Since I'm still on the IR, this week there is only one song, but it's a dandy. Speaks to the message above. Listen a couple of times to the words and let the truth it tells soak into your heart like a heavy rain saturating the soil.
But there is time for a thoughtful funny for the road.
A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."
Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."
"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"
The doctor was holding the handle of the door. On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing ... I know my Master is there and that is enough."