September 30, 2018

How Far Will You Go?

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. – John 6:66

How devoted are you to Jesus? How much do you love Him? How far will you go when He calls you to a path not of your liking? What will you do, how much will you sacrifice, to fulfill His calling on your life?

It’s easy to follow Jesus when the path is sure and the work light and easy. It’s a good life, we tell ourselves. God is good, we share boldly.

And then, one day, it’s not. Your best friend gets a cancer diagnosis and, after surgery and treatments and hours of prayer, dies. Your husband spends years building a career that provides a good life for your family until, one day, his company goes under and you’re left with a meager bank account and no prospects for a new job.

Should I go on? There’s the child you’ve asked God to protect and guide since before he was born. He’s addicted to drugs. Maybe you thought you’d found the perfect church only to hear another church member gossiping and spreading ugly untruths about you. Maybe you’re infertile, or alone, or your husband is having an affair.

Do you still follow Jesus throughout it all? Do you still love Him and trust Him? Do you still believe He wants what is best for you?

Life rarely turns out the way we’d imagined. Our plans, well, they rarely direct our lives. God has a way of showing up and turning our world upset down. Sometimes it hurts. Always it ends up growing us and molding us into the people He wants us to be.

Staying the course is hard. It’s not like God gives us a map. We don’t get to preview the twists and turns before they happen. We don’t get to choose only good things.

I get it. I do. But here’s a hard truth:  It’s in the hard times, the hurtful moments, that we grow the most. It’s when we have nowhere else to turn that we finally cry out to the only One who can fill us with His peace, healing us from the inside out.

That’s when some people turn away. They want an easy button. They don’t want to walk through the pain. They don’t want to suffer. They don’t want to believe God knows best when He says no. They don’t want to trust when Jesus says wait.

It’s easy to turn to other things, isn’t it? Alcohol and pills dull the pain. Stuff, whether it’s the latest electronic gadget or a new outfit, makes us feel better. We can relax in front of the television, binging on escapism programming as we stuff unhealthy foods into our already overweight bodies. We don’t need Jesus. We can take care of ourselves. That’s what we tell ourselves anyway.

What about you? Can you stay the course, trusting Him, when the way is rocky and the final outcome uncertain? Can you believe in Him, in His goodness, in His love, when life hurts?

We don’t always get the answers we want in life. We don’t always understand why He allows us to hurt so deeply when we’ve tried so hard to follow Him? Through it all He changes us, molds us, until one day we look up and realize we’re really thankful we stayed the course and trusted Him through the hard times.

February 21, 2018

Get Rid of the Anger

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. – Colossians 3:8

What is your button? What instantly makes you angry? What do you have trouble shaking off, putting aside, letting go and moving on from?

We all have something. It could be a snide comment from someone. It could be an unfair judgement from a person who has no business even concerning themselves with your situation. It could be reminders of leftover anger from situations long ago.

Most anger is normal. Contrary to what some believe, anger alone isn’t a sin. The sin comes when we harbor bitterness and chronic anger. Then it overtakes us and consumes us in ways that aren’t healthy for us and lead us to sin in other ways.

Anger and resentment can’t coincide with forgiveness. We are to forgive others because God has forgiven us. It has nothing to do with worthiness. None of us are worthy of forgiveness. It is about grace and mercy.

Forgiveness also isn’t about the other person repenting and asking for forgiveness. We can’t control what other people do or don’t do. We can’t control what they say about us or how they feel about us. We can control how we react. We can forgive and walk away.

Chronic anger is a result of deep hurt. That’s what our pastor said last Sunday. There’s so much truth in that. We lash out at others. We allow jealousy and anger to take control. We sin, then use our own anger in a vain attempt to justify our sin. It’s a vicious cycle and everyone gets hurt in the end.

Some people try to put salve on their wounds by attempting to control everyone and everything around them. They want to be in charge, no matter the cost. And make no mistake, the cost is great. No one wants to be controlled by others. While they might go along for a time, eventually that will erupt into something awful. We can’t run other people’s lives. It’s that simple and that complicated.

We must exercise self-control over our own lives. We need to get rid of the anger and resentment and jealousies that consume us. It doesn’t feel natural, does it? Don’t we have a right to rise up against those who have harmed us? Not according to the Bible. God is the One who takes care of revenge when His children are harmed. We’re to forgive and move on.

How can we possibly get past it all? By giving it to God. Again and again, I might add. God sees your struggle. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to heal you and allow you to move past the ugliness in your heart. Let go of the anger and bitterness and allow God’s peace to fill your heart.