What Do You See?

Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever.

Isaiah 9:1 

 

Believe it or not, I pray for God to inspire my soul with these devotions.  God is always faithful.  Sometimes He brings a thought to mind, sometimes He brings a verse to mind, and sometimes He shows me something that a friend is enduring.  This devotion is not exception.  God reminded me that some are enduring darkness and despair.  Because of that, they are in need of encouragement, so here goes.

 

When I was in grade school, my family would take vacation to the Southwest to a conference center called Glorieta in New Mexico.  While I love the Southwest, I didn't like the conference center because, being introverted and socially awkward, I spent most of my time alone.  I remember, one evening after dinner, walking down a path back to our cabin.  I had a flashlight and shined it on the path so I wouldn't trip over something, being that I have always been the graceful sort.

 

About halfway to our cabin, one of maintenance workers was sitting in a chair looking up.  I muttered a greeting and was stepping around him when he said, "Boy, want to see something incredible? Turn off that flashlight, stop looking at the dirt, and look up."  I figured I had nothing to lose, so I did.  Looking up, the sky was so clear and dark with stars shining so brightly.  I can't tell you how long we sat there watching the night sky counting the shooting stars, but for once in my life I felt freedom from all my worries and concerns.  My new friend told me, "You know why this is so amazing?  Because God reminds us that we can only see this sight when it's dark.  Think about it, God's telling us when our world seems dark, if we look up, He's always there."

 

Now, my first thought was this guy is a maintenance worker, how did he come up with such a profound concept.  Then God reminded me that He used fishermen to get the message of love to the people.  As a matter of fact, God reminded me that His Son was a carpenter.  Never underestimate God's methods of delivering His message!  And when despair & darkness surround you....look to God.  His light is always shining on us and in us.

Am I The Only One?

What exists now is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing truly new on earth.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 

 

Have you ever had to endure a situation where you felt as though you were the only one going through this?  It's a HUGELY frustrating feeling, isn't it?  After living through the stress and struggle for so long, we begin to wonder how anyone could possibly have an inkling of what we are enduring, much less care that we are slowly sinking and there's nothing we can do about it.

 

To be honest, we, as humans, aren't usually ones to come rushing to someone who is enduring a hardship, difficult time, or struggling.  Why?  Perhaps it's because they hide it well and we don't realize there's an issue.  Perhaps we prefer not to notice because we want to stay in the "no-sad zone."  Perhaps we feel drained from having just reached out to someone else struggling and we aren't ready to do that again just yet.

 

Whatever our reason, the person enduring the struggle eventually will begin to believe that they are the only one who has, is, or ever will face such a challenge as theirs.  That feeling can lead to despair!  However....God reminds us that we are NOT alone in our struggles.  Notice today's verse: "...there is nothing truly new on the earth."  Did you catch that? Our struggles may be new to us, but they are not new and they are most certainly not new to God.  Nothing surprises God!  And, as a matter of fact, God allows struggles in our lives to teach us how to help others later on who may be facing a similar struggle.

 

Yes, we will encounter situations where we slump down and wonder "Why me?" and we will begin to believe the whisperer from the pit who tells us no one cares, no one understands, no one has ever faced this, and the whisperer LIES!

 

One of the things I try to remind the Deputies and employees of the Sheriff's Department: "If I don't know what's going on with you, I can't help you or find help for you."  And it's true!  But start with God, He has more resources at His immediate disposal.  But understand YOU are NEVER alone!

What's The Point?

But I am always with you;
    you have held my hand.

Psalm 73:23

 

I received a phone call.  It was about 2:30 in the morning.  I recognized the voice on the other end of the line because we are friends.  The words I heard come from my friend brought back so many horrible memories and emotions that I had endured, yet God had brought me through. "Padre, What's the point?  Why should I bother to keep on?  My life is a complete mess and there's no way to make it better.  So, what's the point?"

 

I had said the same thing several years ago.  I had been in the depths of despair and depression and didn't believe there was any way life could get better.  I considered a permanent exit, but God wouldn't allow it.  And I prayed that God would not allow this one either.

 

We talked for a bit, while I got dressed, and continued to talk as I drove to my friend and we talked a bit more.  I knew that this was not the right time to preach to my friend, rather, it was time to love on my friend and BE a friend.  After almost an hour of silence, I asked if my friend had made an exit plan.  My friend confirmed there was such a plan.  I asked if the plan could be explained to me, and it was.  I asked if my friend knew that I loved, cared for, and wanted to help.  That was confirmed.  But my friend, with tears gushing, whispered: "But what does it matter?"  The only thing that came to mind after a quick HELP ME prayer to God was, "It matters because YOU matter.  YOU matter to me and more importantly YOU matter to God who brought me here to be with you."

 

When we reach the point where we ask the question "What's the point?" we are screaming for help!  And here's something we need to be reminded: We MATTER!  If we didn't matter, God would not have brought us to this earth to interact with His people!  Every breath, Every dawn, Every thought is a gift from God to remind us that we matter to Him!

 

My friend and I talked until I was sure my friend would not act on his exit strategy.  As a matter of fact, I called, texted, and visited with my friend to give the reminder that they matter to God and to me and I am glad.  My friend's situation did get better in time, and now God is using my friend to share this experience with others who may be struggling with depression and despair.  It's nothing to be ashamed of.  No need to slap on a happy face and try to "fake it 'til you make it" because hiding it doesn't help.

 

If you need someone to talk with, contact me, contact someone you trust and be honest....completely soul bared honest about what's going on.

 

What Is This 'Rest' Thing?

So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

~Genesis 2:1-3 

 

I've seen it, and done it...eating lunch at my desk; working while "at lunch"; working 'vacations'; always busy; always working....and always extremely stressed!  I'm doing a little better with it now, but it is still a struggle.  

 

Let's face it, there's SO MUCH we have to accomplish so:

     * we work more than we are paid to work, 

     * we sleep less than we need to sleep, 

     * we ignore our family, 

     * we ignore our health, 

     * we ignore everything except the "TO DO" list that only gets longer.  

 

And we wonder why people have breakdowns, heart attacks, ulcers, GCA syndrome (Generally Cranky Attitude).  We stress because our stress is making us look old.  We stress because if we aren't stressed then people might think we were (dare I say it) not working hard enough!  After all STRESSED = WORKING HARD.

 

We are willing to take the world on our shoulders hoping someone will notice how hard we are working and how busy and burdened we are, but at what cost?  Is it worth your health?  Is it worth your life? Think about this...if stress kills you, and it can, will your "TO DO" list go away or just get passed off to someone else?

 

I tried getting away from the office with some coworkers during lunch, but when you go to lunch and talk about work...what's the point?

 

Listen to me VERY carefully.....EVEN GOD TOOK A DAY OF REST!!!  EVEN JESUS TOOK TIME AWAY FROM HIS WORK!!!

 

Grampa told me that your legacy is what people remember about you after you die.  What legacy will you leave?  Will your legacy to your kids be that you were never there for them?  Will your legacy to your spouse be that you were gone when they woke up and not home yet when they went to bed?  Think about your legacy!  How do you want to be remembered? 

What Would You Do?

Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

~2Corinthians 11:24-27

 

 

We hear quite a lot, these days, about Critical Incidents and ways to deal with the after-effects.  What is a Critical Incident?  In a nutshell, a Critical Incident is any event that negatively changes your perception and perspective of life.  A Critical Incident for one person might not be for another person.  But it is whatever incident alters your view of "normal."

 

Look at what the Apostle Paul endured:

     1.  Given 39 lashes on 5 occasions by the Jewish Leaders.  You see, 40 lashes was considered fatal, so they stopped at 39 lashes which chewed up the skin on one's back until is looked like it had been butchered.  And Paul got this treatment FIVE times!!  How would you have handled that?

 

     2.  Three times Paul was beaten with rods.  That is rather like being caned in Hong Kong.

 

     3.  Once the people tried to kill Paul by throwing stones on him.  Not gravel, mind you, but bone crushing stones!

 

     4.  THREE times Paul was shipwrecked and once had to spend an entire day and night hanging on to flotsam to survive.  No life preservers.  No inflatable rafts.  Paul was clinging to whatever bits of the ship that were still floating.  Remember, the Mediterranean Sea does have sharks and they do attack.  And here's Paul bobbing along on his bit of wreckage in the middle of this sea.

 

     5.  He took his own life in his hands every time he traveled anywhere.  During this time, there was no Highway Patrol.  If you traveled, you needed to travel in large groups.  Thieves and robbers didn't think twice about killing you just to take your walking stick or sandals.

 

     6. Paul spent many many nights without sleep because he was working.  You see, Paul had to earn his way through the mission fields.  He was a tentmaker by trade which was very tedious and eye straining work.  But Paul worked so he could share the Gospel.  So he worked more than most of us could imagine.

 

     7.  Paul didn't always make enough to pay for his food and clothing on these journeys, so he went without food and wore his rags when necessary.

 

Do you think Paul's experiences qualify as Critical Incidents?  You bet they do!  How did Paul handle these crises?  He talked about it!!  Yes, he wrote about them in his letters, but he TALKED to God about EVERYTHING!  Did God make his life one of ease and comfort after that?  Nope!  God, instead, used these experiences to strengthen Paul.  You see, crises should bring our focus back to God!  And that is a good thing!

 

But guess when the best time to have conversations with God?  Every single day!  Even the days when life seems easy. Especially when life seems easy, because those are the times where we get comfortable and complacent and think WE are in control.  Hmmmm.....

 

If you have faced Critical Incidents or if you had to face a Critical Incident...what would you do?