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?
