Trouble and Trials

Trouble

Somewhere in time:  This is current, this week, September of 2011.  The school where I used to teach requires incoming freshman to write a spiritual autobiography.  I read one with permission of the student’s parent and now I am going to use part for today’s blog.  When I first read it, I was heartbroken over the hurt and betrayal this young man felt.  Before reading some of what the young man wrote, I want you to think about this scripture in John. 

John 16:33b  (NIV) “In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart I have overcome the world.” 

This was written by Ben Thai:

Before I got in touch with Jesus I was a depressed teenager. No, I did not fit in the ‘emo’ scene nor did I cut myself. I had a master plan of contemplating suicide to end all the terrors that haunted me. It started when I was just a boy. My father beat my mom. He was unreasonable and selfish. He did my family wrong in many ways. I had no childhood.

Then he just vanished. Just like that. The pain was overwhelming. How can a man just leave his children for a “better life”? I was in denial of the thought as I grew, ‘oh, he never left me. He was just taking a break!’. I was just 8 or 9 when I thought of that foolish scenario. Through my preteen years he never communicated with me. I told friends he was dead. In my heart he truly was. I got into drugs and drifted off the path of light. I let down my mom so many times I gave up trying to be the perfect child. I always tried to make people smile and happy, so they won’t have to feel the pain of loneliness or sadness like I did. I joined small crews consisting of stupid youngsters like myself into thinking taking control of turf was the best idea of fellowship. We were only kids, so violence was just fights and destruction of property. Then in eighth grade, I came to Arizona from El Paso.

No friends, no nothing. My brother stayed back in El Paso. Everything seemed fine with fun, happiness and friends until a rumor and a horrible one too was spoken. Everyone rejected me. They even hated me. They threatened to hurt me, even kill me. I left schools from Horizon Honors to Pueblo. I was loved there. Still, a dark thought popped into my mind, Satan himself whispered to me while I cried face down in the dirt, “You’re nothing. You better finish yourself off, before someone else does. DO IT!!” At last, Summer came. I was readying for my death. I had a belt fastened as a noose to pillars in my closet. Suddenly, Jake Weber called just before I took the last step off the chair. He invited me to a church summer camp. “Whatever, I’ll be dead anyway. Why not.” I thought to myself. Those five days of camp changed me. I saw the majesty of God and his beauty. I was moved  by the  sermons that were taught. I noticed leaders doing testimonies during the last days. So, I decided to do a testimony.

In front of everyone. It took me forever to get the strength to make a speech and to fathom what I was about to do. Nevertheless, I did it. I broke down in tears as did many others. I swore that I would trust and believe in Jesus Christ as our savior and king. I would serve for him and try my best to do good for people and make people happy. In the future, I promise to become a beacon of hope for those in need of love and Jesus. My experience with dark times could help with others who are in a similar position. I hope to break out of the darkness and into the light. I hope for a new world. I will help create a new world where men will become better than hate and brutality.

When we read the verse in John, it said be of good cheer.  Sometimes I think we find it hard to be of good cheer.  We find it hard to believe that before Ben’s father left his family, God knew it was going to happen and he planned ahead. The things that happened to Ben were not God’s idea, but He is still capable of taking the circumstances of this young man’s life and using it to make him the man God wants him to be. 

Consider this verse in James.

James 1:2-3 (NIV) “ Consider it pure joy, my  brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. “

God knew ahead of time what would happen and he made a way for Ben to develop a faith that is able to stand testing, a faith that will last for the long haul.  God is awesome; He is not limited by us, He instead takes the circumstances of our lives and works them to make us the person he wants us to be.   I have people I love very much facing a trial right now, a trial of a broken family.   I just want them to consider what a wonder God is able to perform in our lives when we let him.  If we take our eyes off of our situation and place them on God, He can perform a work in us to make us more like Him and less like our earthly father.  That is something to think about.

Finally, in 2 Timothy 4:6, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.    Fighting the good fight is allowing God to turn the bad things in our lives to things that work for our good.  Then we can finish the race well. 

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

The Battle of the B’s

Somewhere in time, about 10 years ago, I heard a comedian, Mark Lowery talk about the battle of the B’s. He said, once you get over forty, you have to battle baldness, bridges, bi-focals, bowlegs and bunions.   I laughed, it was pretty funny, but 10 year ago I was turning forty.  This year I turned fifty.  I am not going bald and I don’t have bowlegs, but I have everything else.  I’m working to get in better shape and I get discouraged sometimes, but then I read this Psalm I felt hope returning.    

Psalm 139: 13-16 (NIV)

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

                when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

                your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

                were written in your book

                before one of them came to be.

Isn’t it amazing, we look at babies and we see the miracles of God.  They are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made.  When I look in the mirror at fifty, it is harder to believe, but it is still true.   Each one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made.  God had a plan for us before we were born.  He does not care when we turn fifty, he is not done perfecting his will in our lives.  I think that is really wonderful and I am thankful for that.

Another thought on turning fifty.  I was told by another lady who beat me to the turn, that it gives you a certain amount of freedom.  I no longer have to be cool and I no longer have to worry about what others think.  At this point, it is just about being what God wants me to be. I should have thought about that when I was twenty.   

Contentment

Lessons from the weed

Somewhere in time A.D. 61 and March 2011

Philippians 4:11 (INV)     “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

Have you ever thought of the word contentment?  I haven’t given it much thought. After all, I’m always looking for the next thing, the next thing to do, the next thing to change.  One day, I was praying for God to change things and God brought the word contentment to my mind.  I think He may have only been able to get in one word, but His one word stumped me.  Was I content?  I really didn’t have anything to not be content about. I have enough food, enough cloths to wear, and a nice house to live in. I want for nothing, yet I was not content. Paul wrote in Philippines, in what every circumstance I am content.  Paul was beaten, shipwrecked and imprisoned and yet he was content.

On my way to work, I saw a weed.  It was growing at the base of a stop sign in the middle of a three lane road.  There was a field on one side of the road and to me this looked like a better place for a weed to grow.  The field had lots of room to grow, but the weed was growing at the base of the stop sign, a small opening in the black top of the road.   It was not a small sickly weed, it was flourishing.  God reminded me that I needed to be more like the weed. I need to be blessing the dirt instead of cursing the black top around me. 

If we use Paul as our example, we can learn the meaning of contentment.  He knew he was doing what God called him to do and that was enough.  It made me realize just how self-focused I am at times and how ungrateful I am for the goodness God brings into my life.  The weed really ministered to me that day and now I am trying to be more thankful for my own patch of dirt and I pray God will allow me to bloom where I am planted.

In Defense of Martha

In Defense of Martha

This is somewhere in time, about 32 A.D.

Luke 10:38-42

I am sure many of you have read this story or heard about it.  Jesus goes to visit his friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus.   Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and Martha gets busy.  We never hear what Lazarus is doing, but we know that Martha is bustling around.  She is probably making dinner for everyone.  She may also be making sure that Jesus has a place to sleep.  Through all her rushing around, she notices that she is working alone.

This is from the message Bible.  Luke 10:40-42 “Master don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me?  Tell her to lend me a hand.”  The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing.  One thing is essential, and Mary has chosen it – it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”

Maybe I understand Martha.  She is the one getting things done.  I know more than a few people like her.  When you need something done, you give it to a Martha.  Martha’s run Vacation Bible School, man the prayer list and take food to the invalid.  She is the one who is always busy and usually has something to show for it.    If I had lived back then, I would have been friends with Martha. In a way, more people need to be like her so we wouldn’t need to search for volunteers to teach Sunday school.

So why does Martha always come off as the example of what not to do.  This is what I think.  First of all, if she had walked into the room and asked Mary to come help her, the story would have ended there. Instead she wanted Mary to be just as busy as she was.  She was bustling around and probably realized that she was getting a little stressed in her preparations, and she was working alone.  She probably started with a little self-talk.  What is Mary doing?  Doesn’t she see we have thing to accomplish.  Why isn’t she in here helping me? As this continues she probably gets a little more irritated with her sister.   Then she gets a little irritated with Jesus because He does not send Mary in to help her.  Her entrance into the room was probably not gentle and she may have had a bit of an attitude. 

When she walks into the room, she does not address her comments to Mary, but to Jesus.  “Master don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me?” 

Let’s stop right there.  How many times have we come to our Master with the “don’t you care” question on our lips?  Don’t you care that a child is sick. Don’t you care that I lost my job. Don’t you care? We all expect Jesus to act based on what we think should be done. I think His response to us will be similar to his response to Martha.  “You’re fussing far too much.” Why are we stressing and worrying when God can hold the universe in the span of His hand?  He knows the beginning from the end. He works things out for our good, if not in this life than the next.  Jesus can say he already knows about every problem we bring to him.  Faith means putting trust in our Creator to work out everything for us.

I will acknowledge that in my own life at times, I have asked Jesus, don’t you care?  Normally this was preceded by a decision I made without seeking His advice and now I need His help to clean up the mess.    Sometimes it was during a difficult and stressful time that had nothing to do with my decisions; it came from living in a broken world.  When I found out I could never have a child of my own. I had one of these times and I had to learn to trust my heavenly Father. 

Martha had a servant’s heart and for that we applaud her, but she questioned Jesus.  Not a smart move. You may be going through something now and it may be serious and heartbreaking.  I just want you to know that we have a heavenly Father we can trust to help us if we only ask.  Why are we worrying and stressing over many things?

What other lessons can we learn from Martha?  If the creator of the universe is sitting in your living room, go hang out with Him and order in.  He loves you, so enjoy it.