Celebrate Life By Comforting Others!

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

~2 Corinthians 1:3-5

 

Have you ever endured a loss that hurt so deeply that you thought you would not ever recover?  On November 17, 1981, my Grampa's time on Earth ended.  I was devastated and miss him every single day.  I still hear his wisdom and his jokes.  But Grampa lived a full, albeit unusual, life.  And I have found comfort in that.

 

During my time in ministry, I have tried to help families who have lost a child.  Some were due to accidents; some were due to miscarriages; some were due to SIDS, but they were all beyond tragic.  Sadly, one piece of "advice" I had the misfortune to hear over and over was "You're still young. You can try again. Just put this out of your mind and move on."  Yes, I heard well-meaning, very sincere people stab the hearts of the mourning families with this counsel.  Remember the saying, "If you can't say something nice, then say nothing"?  

 

It has been truly an honor and privilege to have some of these families as personal friends.  And I was contacted by one of these Moms recently. She wanted to raise awareness of  Child Loss!  She wants others to know that they are not alone in this!  She is wanting to heal by helping others heal.  And THAT is what it means to "Love your neighbor as yourself."

 

You see, and I've said this before and here it comes again, God does not comfort us to make us comfortable!  God comforts us so we can comfort others!

 

If you or someone you know has had such a loss or needs to begin taking the first step toward healing, let me know.  I would like this Mom to be able to make contact.  Sometimes the best comfort is knowing you are not alone!

Better Than Others!

Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”

~Matthew 15:10-11

 

Ever know anyone who thought they were better than everyone else?  Nah, me neither.  Arrogant people don't exist except in nightmares, right?

 

During Jesus' time, the Pharisees (church leaders) had become very arrogant because they claimed that they followed every single law.  There were laws on giving 10% to the church, so the Pharisees gave 10% of EVERYTHING to the church (from things they grew in their gardens, to the herbs they were given, to the clothing they were given, to the food they were given as well as their wages).  

 

There were laws regarding keeping the Sabbath holy and doing no work.  So the Pharisees made sure they walked no more than the permitted number of steps, carried no more than the permitted weight, and did nothing beyond the permitted activities on the Sabbath.  They would even go so far as to not help an injured person because to do so would break the rules of the Sabbath.

 

There were rules for keeping clean, so they washed themselves frequently and washed everything they owned frequently.  

 

They were very careful to eat only what was allowed by the rules and just as careful to avoid eating anything not on the approved list. 

 

They did all of these things so people would notice them and be impressed by how dedicated and "holy" they were.  Then here comes this Jesus guy telling the people that it's not what goes INTO your body that makes you evil, rather it's what comes out of your heart (and consequently out of your mouth) that makes you evil.  What Jesus was saying was scandalous to the Proud Pharisees!  

 

Jesus never said that we should go overboard with what we put into our bodies.  He just reminded us that following a bunch on inconsequential rules did not make you worthy of God's Love and Mercy! 

 

Breathe

Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. 

He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, 

and the man became a living person.

~Genesis 2:7 

 I am not a huge fan of pollen, for it covers the world in a yellow haze which clogs filters and keeps one from breathing for, lo, those 4 months of the year (or longer).  Pollen and the residual effects of pollen make the allergy medicine manufacturers HUGE profits.  We are willing to do almost anything just so we can breathe!

When I was learning to swim, I was pitched off the dock into water that was over my head and told to paddle back.  Let me tell you something, I like breathing and discovered I am not a creature who can breathe underwater.  So imagine my relief when my foot hit the bottom of the pond and I was able to push hard enough that my head broke the surface of the water and I could catch a breath of air.

When I was in Army Basic Training, one of the trials we had to endure was the "Gas Chamber."  It was truly a chamber filled with CS Gas.  We were lined up, told to remove our protective masks when told, execute 5 push-ups, and when instructed we were to give our name, rank, and serial number.  After completing this string of tasks, we would be instructed to exit the chamber.  Honestly, fresh air was one of my favorite memories of that experience.

You see, God created us.  Not only did He create us, God made us in HIS image!  Not only did God create us in His image, He breathed life into us! 

Should you ever feel frustrated, depressed, or feel as if life is no longer worth your time, remember this one thing: You carry within you God's Breath of Life!  God gave it to you for a specific reason and if you had no reason to be here, He would not have breathed into you.

Carry God's Breath and know He loves you! 

Pay careful attention to your own work, 

for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, 

and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.  

For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

~Galatians 6:4-5

"It doesn't matter what I do, no one notices anyway."  I have heard this many times (and have said it too).  We tend to get discouraged when we thing no one notices that we are doing a good job.  We tend to get negative when we aren't the one getting the award even though we believe we did a much better job than the award winner.  As a result, what do we do?  We start slacking off and not trying nearly as hard.  Then we complain because no one noticed when we did a good job, but they noticed when we stopped working so hard.

Did you notice it?  Did you see it?  People noticed when we stopped working so hard...which means they DID notice when we actually were working hard.  How else would they know we had slacked off?

Think about this, when your car is rolling on down that highway (I am channeling my inner Bachman Turner Overdrive), we don't pay much attention because everything is working to its potential.  We appreciate it, we do notice that everything is working as it should, and we are grateful.  But we don't REALLY pay attention until we hear that odd noise or feel that funny shimmy in the wheel.

But consider this:  If you only do your best when you think someone is looking or you think it will get you a promotion or you think it will get you an award, then you have quite a big ego and should probably look for a new line of work (such as selling larger hats to accommodate the swollen egos).

The Apostle Paul is reminding us that we should do pay careful attention and to the best we can regardless if we get "noticed" or not.  Because here's the kicker, God ALWAYS notices, and He holds us accountable and will reward us accordingly in time!

What Do You Mean "Share"?

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 

If you think you are too important to help someone, 

you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

~Galatians 6:2-3

 

We don't like to share much, do we?  Oh we'll talk a good game, but when it comes down to actually putting our words into action, we don't like to share.  Think about it, we might share out of our abundance (I have a pantry full of food so I'll share a few cans of vegetables no one in the house will eat), but what about the times when we don't seem to have anything to share?

 

Think about this too, when things are going smoothly we don't mind sharing our time with people we care about.  But when something tragic happens, are we still willing to share our time?  Or do we follow the rule of the uncomfortable and disappear until things return to smooth sailing so we can tell others we were praying for them?

 

Here's a couple of things to know about burdens: 

     

     1.  We don't want others to think we are "weak" so we don't ask for help.  We would rather be crushed and our lives damaged or destroyed because we are too proud to ask for help.

 

     2.  We seem to misunderstand the word "Share."  Sharing a burden does not mean I get to dump my burden on you so I won't have to deal with it anymore.  Sharing means we carry the burden TOGETHER!

 

Remember, not a single one of us is so important that burdens fear to find us.  Not a single one of us is so important that we are above needing help or needing to give help.  We MUST face facts, if any one of us was truly THAT important...they would be the only person on earth.

  

Not sure how to help?  Put yourself in their place, if you were the one carrying a burden how would YOU want to be helped?  Maybe you could be helped by someone checking on you.  Maybe you could be helped by someone helping you with some menial chores.  Perhaps you could be helped by someone taking you for coffee.  Or perhaps by someone who would sit with you while you grieve.  It's not rocket science, it's just a bit uncomfortable.

 

We are all part of each other!  God did that on purpose, so we could help each other.  

 

There's an old adage that says: "A shared burden is half as heavy. A shared joy is twice as bright."  Jesus said "Fear Not For I Am With You ALWAYS" and that includes when we help someone carry their burden.

 

Ever Have That Sinking Feeling?

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water 
and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, 
he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
 ~Matthew 14:29-31

Ever feel overwhelmed by life? Sometimes it feels as if, no matter how hard you try, you just can't seem to keep your head above water.

Peter felt like that.  He and the Disciples were in a boat because Jesus has told them to go ahead.  A storm came up and was bouncing the boat around, when they saw Jesus (thinking He was a ghost) walking on the water toward them.  Jesus told them who it was and for them not to worry.  Then Peter (and I love Peter) told Jesus to prove it was Him by letting him (Peter) walk on the water too.  

Jesus told Peter to "come on in."  So Peter hopped over the side and started walking toward Jesus.  And then...."Reality" set in!  Peter took his focus off of Jesus and started looking at the noisy and the in-your-face storm, with the wind and the waves, and Peter got scared.  When Peter got scared, he began to slip under the water.  When he fixed his focus on Jesus, the storm was not a bother.  But when he started looking at the storm instead of Jesus, the storm became overwhelming!

Let's face it, Life has a way of being loud, in-you-face, and overwhelming.  But when you stop for a moment to think about it, no matter what life throws at us, Jesus is right there with us reminding us that He is our life preserver!

Consider what God has told us in Isaiah 43:1-3:

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
    O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
    you will not be burned up;
    the flames will not consume you.
 For I am the Lord, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Keep your focus on Jesus and the things of this world will grow strangely dim. 

Assaulted By Life?

He said,

“I came naked from my mother’s womb,
    and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
    and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”

~Job 1:21 

Have you ever felt as if life was using you as a punching bag and you were quickly losing hope?  Consider the story of Job.  Job was a man who had everything going for him.  He had a large family; he had lots of donkeys and oxen; he had lots of sheep; he had lots of camels.  In short, Job was a very rich man. 

And then...a messenger arrives and delivers his news: "Sir, all your livestock has been killed or stolen."  bam!

WHILE THIS MESSENGER WAS STILL SPEAKING, here came another messenger with news: "Sir, all your sheep and shepherds have been killed."  Bam! 

WHILE THIS MESSENGER WAS STILL SPEAKING, here came another messenger with news: "Sir, all your camels have been taken and the handlers all killed." BAM!

WHILE THIS MESSENGER WAS STILL SPEAKING, here came another messenger with news: "Sir, all your children have been killed." BOOM!!!

In the span of probably less than an hour, Job went from the wealthiest man to the most destitute.  Talk about taking a huge beating...this was it!  In the Wall Street crash of 1929, people lost all their money in the matter of minutes and some chose to die rather than face life without their wealth.

Think about these things for a moment:

      * Job's wealth was not given to him instantaneously.  He had to work and work HARD for it.  

      * If we are not careful, we will take Job's response in verse 21 as being defeatist or stone cold resignation.  But if you look in verse 20, "Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship."  Job was devastated!  Job was in anguish!  

     *  Job ultimately understood that God had given him all his riches and God could take them all away.  God does what He chooses with all that is His...but it is ALWAYS for our good and His glory!  ALWAYS! Job understood this and focused on God, even though Job didn't understand the whys and wherefores, he trusted God above all else.

     *  In the end, God not only gave Job all that had been lost but gave him even more.  BUT this did not happen instantaneously either, this took time!  

When life starts beating us up, remember to focus on God and do what is right!  We may lose everything, but the one thing that cannot be taken away from us is our faith that God is still in control and will work EVERYTHING to our good and His glory.  But it might take some time. 

Life can be cruel!  Life can be hard!  God never promised us life would be easy.  But God did promise to never leave us or turn His back on us!  THAT is a promise more valuable then anything this life has to offer!