Soldiers in a Foxhole

We have a tendency to make mountains out of mole hills.  There are minor inconveniences that can get magnified into full blown crisis.  We are at the grocery store and there is a lot of people and only a couple of lines open.  It's a disaster.  How long will we need to wait?  There is a traffic back up and that package didn't arrive and our computer crashed and and and and and.  Every day there are struggles but that's not what we are talking about.  No there are struggles and then there is true suffering.

In 1864 President Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter to Mrs/ Lydia Bixby.  Mrs. Bixby had lost five sons in civil war.  The thought of losing a child is horrific, let alone five.I am sure in penning this letter President Lincoln both felt the need to express compassion for this great loss and completely inadequate for the task.  But still he tried.

I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.  I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

We all go through tough times, but some of us more than others.  I can't say that I've gone through as much as many.  I look at some people and think, "How do they make it?" It seems like they would just give up.  People go through devastating loss and horrible sorrows and make it through.  I think we are more resilient than we give ourselves credit for being.

Suffering.  Real suffering, Tragic suffering teaches us patience and endurance to survive it.  It brings out Jesus-like qualities as we grow from the experience.


Watch this clip from Pastor Sparks.

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When we suffer we get through it.  Through the experience we learn to lean on God. So is that its purpose?

I can't picture a God that tortures us so that we will need him more.  I don't think it works that way.  I think suffering happens.  Bad things happen.  We make bad choices or some one else does.  Sometimes there are natural disasters or random attacks.  There is plenty of suffering in the world without God needing to make more up.  But when the suffering does happen, there is God to provide shelter and see us through.  

It is like soldiers in a foxhole.  The enemy is shelling them.  They don't see how they will ever make it to morning. But then the dawn comes.  The shelling stops and a new day breaks.  And those soldiers will forever have a special bond that is only forged by going through trials together.  In the battles of life, God is in our foxhole.

We make it through and we are closer to God as a result.

Defying Logic

We have an expectation in this world that things will make sense.  There is a cause and a logical effect and we expect one to follow the other.

There is a place near St. Ignace, Michigan called the Mystery Spot, and it is a first rate tourist trap. As you walk through the exhibit you will see balls roll up hill and sit in chairs that can't be gotten out of.  Of course it's a trick and good bit of fun.

A similar place is found in the back roads near Rose City.   You stop your car, put it in neutral and it rolls up hill.  It seems to make no sense at all.  Of course both places are tricks of perspective.  The local topography is such that things appear to be uphill when they are really downhill, but when you first experience these places it plays with your senses and makes you say, "What?".

We like predictable.  When the modern nation of Israel was founded shortly after World War II, Albert Einstein was offered its presidency.  He however refused saying that he likes working with equations over people because equations are at least predictable.  And was he ever right.

It's hard for us to make sense of the motivations of others,  I think it''s because other people have their own goals and motivations.  What seems like a crazy decision from out perspective makes perfect sense from theirs.  We just aren't in their heads.

If we can't understand the mindset of another person, how much less are we able to understand the mind of God.  We all wonder why bad things happen.  What is the purpose to suffering.  If God is love and God loves us and all the rest, why does he let suffering go on?  

There are many thoughts on this subject.  Whole books have been written on the subject.  Here is the thing.  When We are the ones going through it, none of those ideas matter.  It is between us and God and we are left asking the question Why?

Watch this video clip from Pastor Sparks

The very nature of Christianity is a personal relationship with God.  To be a Christian is to have the sense that yo and God have a closeness,  So when we are suffering, we want to say, "Hey.  God.  It's me." If people are unfathomable, how much more is God?

A pastor once told me that we should embrace the challenges to our faith.  There will be questions and uncertainties.  We should not hide from them, but rather wrestle with them, and our faith will be stronger as a result.  This is hard to remember in the midst of a storm, but we should all try.

Shhhhh. It's a Secret.

Zicam.  It is a cold medicine.  And I tell you it really works.  No kidding.  I used to get these colds 2-3 times a year.  It would start with a sinusy sore throat, turn into a full blown head cold then migrate to my chest.  The day that I woke with the sore throat, I knew that I was looking at two weeks of misery.  Then I got turned on to Zicam.  Now I take it and the cold is all done in about two days and it's never so bad. It's brought such relief that I find myself suggesting it to everyone I meet who has a cold.  You just can't keep some things secret.

Sure, there are those things that we keep to ourselves, like a secret told in confidence or the location of that great place to pick morel mushrooms in the spring.  But most of the time, good things are for sharing.

We share our opinions about a great number of things, that new restaurant,  a book we just read, the Tiger's bullpen.  We have opinions about everything and through comments and "Likes" and word of mouth, we let the world know.

There is one good review that we are reluctant to share,  For some reason our faith is off limits.  They say that you can't discuss religion or politics, but that's not true.  All kinds of people make bold declarations about their party of choice.  It is only faith where we find ourselves reluctant to share.

Watch this clip from Pastor Sparks.

As I have approached this post, I have been asking myself why it is so hard to share our faith.  I think it is because faith is so enormously personal.  It is not a preference for cold medicine this is about who we are down in our soul.  It is hard to share, but that is exactly what "Make disciples of all nations means."

Well That's Done

We love the sense of accomplishment of a job that's been finished.  A friend on Facebook just posted that when she does a task that it not on her list, she writes it down so that she can cross it off.  I am a fan of lists too.  It seems that I used to remember things but as I have gotten older a list is really a necessity.

I once worked with a person who was a big believer in the "To-Do" list.  Every day he would have his list of things to do.  One day he left his list laying around and someone noticed that the first item on this list was "Treat People Kindly".  Now this is a nice thought, except he had a check mark next to it.

Really.  It was checked.  As if to say, "There.  That's over with.  On with my day."  I'm sure he didn't mean it that way, but he took some good natured teasing none the less.  Of course Treating people kindly is not a case for one and done.  It never gets crossed off the list.

Some projects never ever end.   It's like washing the windows on the Renaissance Center in Detroit.  Several massive, window-covered buildings.  By the time the job is done, it is time to start again.  There are others.  Painting the Mackinac Bridge or resurfacing I-75.  When was the last summer that a section wasn't closed for repairs?

Relationships are like this too.  We need to constantly work on the way we relate to others.  We can't expect our relationships to stay in tact untended any more than we can expect  windows to wash themselves.

And finally, our Christian walk.  A christian life is a call to action.  It is a life of doing, not just being.  As Christians we are called to step out and do as Christ would have us do.  It is a way of life and not just one and done.  

Watch this clip from Pastor Sparks.

When Jesus commanded us to love one another as ourselves, I don't think he meant only in theory.  I think that he really wanted us to love other people and to live our lives so that people know it.  I can't say that I am personally always very good at this.  But like washing windows or building  roads, the work on me is never done.

A is for action and it is pretty simple.  We need to let the love of God flow through us.  It is not over and it never is crossed our to do list.  It is a way of life.  

Time for action.

Our Worst Critic

There is this one place on the wall in our living room.  A few years back I was painting the walls and I missed this part when I was going back over it with the roller.  A series of drips are clearly visible.  Now this spot is behind the television.  Nobody ever sees this part, but it bothers me anyway because I know it's there.  Sometimes when we critique our own work, we only see the flaws.

I think that it can be like this in life as well.  We have a hard time letting go of the flaws that we see in ourselves.  It doesn't really matter what else we do or what we accomplish, we still see that one flaw.  We need to learn to forgive ourselves.  Everyone's life has a few paint drips and we need to let them go.  Once we have asked God for forgiveness, once we have sought out forgiveness from others, we still have a hard time forgiving ourselves.

Watch this clip from Pastor Sparks.

I think that deep inside of each of us is a concept that we need to be perfect.  We don't expect perfection from others, only from ourselves.  It really is time to let it go.  There is nothing to gain by blaming ourselves but yet we do.

I think that we need to be deliberate about our personal forgiveness.  We need to keep reminding ourselves that it is the past and over.  Once I woke in the night from a bizarre dream.  In the dream I came home and caught some friends breaking into my home.  It seemed real and it took me a while to remind myself that it was a dream.  The really weird part was that the next day I kept remembering the dream and I found myself feeling a little angry and hurt with my friends.  I had to keep reminding myself, "No.  They did not break into our house." Like I said, it was bizarre.

I think that in the same way,  when we keep beating ourselves up with out past mistakes, we need to say, "No.  It is in the past.  I am forgiven,  It is over." Then we need to keep it up until it fades like that silly dream long ago.   

The Impossible Will Take a Little Longer

There is impossible and then there is impossible.  Some things only seem impossible while others truly are.  I once heard a speaker say, "You have one week to raise $200,000.  How do you do it?"  My first answer was that it's impossible, I don't do it.  Then he rephrased the question, "Your child is sick and on the verge of dying.  There is a procedure that will save his life.  It costs $200,000 and is not covered by insurance.  You have one week.  How do you raise $200,000."

If we allow ourselves to play that game.  If we go beyond the boarder of what is reasonable.  We come up with more options.  There are things to sell, credit cards to max out, retirement accounts to plunder, people we know.  If we do it all, could we come up with the money?  Hard to say.  But there are a lot of options if we let ourselves think about it.

At NASA they have a saying, "The Difficult we can do right away.  The impossible will take a little longer." It is an attitude about pushing boundaries and doing great things.  It reminds us many things that once seemed impossible, happened and are even common place today.  Humanity can do amazing things when we put out minds to it.

But then there is the truly impossible.  It can't happen no matter what we try.  In the Bible are the Ten Commandments.  Rules to live by of course, but there are other rules listed in the Bible.  Things to do or not do.  This link will take you to several Biblical rules and here is another list of Judaic Laws based on the Bible.  The lists go on and on.  The Judaic Law of Mitzvot contains 613 rules.  Then Jesus took this rules business to the next level.  He said that being angry was as bad as murder and lustful thoughts were as bad as adultery. 

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[b][c] will be subject to judgment. - Matthew 5:21-22

If you want to think about the truly impossible, not the improbable or difficult, but the truly impossible, think on this.  To be reconciled to God we need to follow them all.  Not most, All.  In school a passing grade is 60%.  The Honor Roll for the As and Bs, but even 99% isn't good enough.  Living a life that is good enough to be Holy in God's sight is IMPOSSIBLE.  And that is where forgiveness comes in.

Watch this clip from Pastor Sparks.

We cannot reconcile ourselves to God on our own terms.  It is impossible, and taking a little longer will only dig us in a deeper hole.  We need the forgiveness of God.  Because that is the only way that the truly impossible can happen.

Like You Mean It

This will probably sound familiar.  Two little kids are fighting.  The insults start flying.  "You're stupid."  "You're Ugly."  An adult intervenes with, "Say you're sorry."  The response is either a bitter, "I'm sorry." or a sarcastic, "I'm sorry that you're stupid." If you really are sorry, you have to say it like you mean it.

We all mess up from time to time.  Sometimes it's a little inconvenience, but sometimes it's worse and sometimes way worse.  As we go through life we leave a wake behind us.  We affect those that we touch and most people affect most people in a positive way.  Or at least neutrally, but we all have those times where it just isn't good.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18

Seeking out forgiveness from others is a tough thing.  In many ways it is harder than seeking out forgiveness from God.  After all God has promised that He will forgive you and His promises can be trusted.  Other people have made no such promises and even the most honorable of persons are still not God.

So seeking out forgiveness is a risk.  You may be rebuffed and rejected.  You may be looking for peace and they may be looking for vengeance.  But still we need to try.  We cannot control how others respond, but still we need to know that we made the effort.

Watch this clip from Pastor Sparks.

In the essay, All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, author Robert Fulghum lists several basic life rules that we all should live by.  Among these rules is "Say you are sorry when you hurt someone." It's a simple rule that we all should remember.  And I would add that when you say that you are sorry, say it like you mean it.

The Permanent Record

It was 1993 and the University of Michigan was in the finals of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.  Eleven seconds to go, Michigan is down by two.  Chris Webber has the ball and is bringing it down court, and then it happens.  Chris Webber calks for a time out when his team is out.  It;s a technical foul and that's it.  The game becomes out of reach.

It was a mistake and mistakes happen.  Chris Webber went on to have a remarkable NBA career scoring over 17,000 points and 5 all star appearances, but people still remember the time out.  After retirement when he was joining the broadcasters on Inside the NBA he was still being teased about his ill fated time out.  Sometimes we mess up big and publicly.  The football player runs the wrong way; or the goalie puts one in his own.  Usually it isn't as big or as publicly, but we all mess up.  And sometimes the mess up is what we are known for.

In life we have high points and low points and people remember.  Alfred Nobel was the creator of dynamite.  When his brother died, a newspaper mistakenly reported that it was Alfred that died and described him as a merchant of destruction.  Alfred was disturbed that he would be remembered that way and so he used the vast wealth to create prizes for Peace and achievements in Science, Medicine and Literature.    And it worked.  Today when people heat the name Alfred Nobel they are much more likely to think Nobel Prize than Dynamite.  However, most of us don't have vast fortunes to use in this way.

For most of us we have to rely on forgiveness.  We need people to accept our mistakes and look past them.  We need to be forgiven by others, we need to be forgiven by God and we need to forgive ourselves.

Watch this clip from Pastor Sparks.

We all need forgiveness and we all need to be forgiven.  We need to be forgiven by other people and we need to be forgiven by God.  In the Gospel of Mark it says 

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins

So forgiveness needs to start with us.  We need to forgive others so that our heart is right with God.  And there is the crux of it.  Unforgiveness is bad for us.  It hardens our heart and separates us from God whose forgiveness we all need.  So while our mistakes might forever be remembered in the minds of people it will be forever removed from God's permanent record.