There's nothing better than personal strife to get your creative juices flowing. So pardon me while I use this hollow outlet to think out loud. As always your comments are welcome. Although, I am not sure if the comment thingamajig works very good. Call me instead.
My lovely wife taught an excellent Bible Study class today. We are working our way through Max Lucado's Fearless. As you can imagine, the book is about Fears, but not just things like spiders and heights and clowns. Fears that everyone has like "Why doesn't anyone like me" or "I am afraid to let my family down" or "This cancer is killing me and I am afraid about what is going to happen." It has actually been a good medium for getting people to talk about fear at church.
If you don't already know and are ever interested in finding out what it is like to have a stressful life, I suggest you say openly in a group of people, "I think I am pretty laid back. Things don't bother me too much. I really haven't had any really difficult situations in my life up to this point."
I am "afraid" that I made a similar statement earlier in our Fearless study. I am quickly discovering that I should have kept my mouth shut.
One of the greatest things about the Bible is that it is filled with examples from the life of Christ and the Disciples that are there to provide us with Hope and Strength to carry on. Today, Maxi sent us to the book of John (John 14:27-31) for comfort when we think that things can't get much worse and we are getting creeping thoughts of doubt trying to invade our hearts. This is what Jesus told Judas (a disciple and not Judas Iscariot):
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. 29 I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.
30 “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, 31 but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.
Although Jesus told the disciples that he is leaving us with a gift, it must have still been scary.
Dude don't go. Why can't you just stay here with us and rule this place now.
Don't leave us with here with those crazy Romans and those psycho Pharisee dudes.
Those guys are going to try and kill us. Or at least make it really hard to go out tell people about you and what you lived for and died for.
Why do you have to go? I don't understand.
And then they understood and they gave their lives trying to explain it to the world.
Why can't I be that brave? Why can't I understand what I am supposed to do in this life? How do I know if I am standing up for my beliefs or being judgmental of people who think a little bit different than me. Why does it have to be so hard? When is He coming back?
You may or may not know about my fondness of Third Day. As soon as the verses were read today in Bible Study, I immediately thought of a Third Day song called Rise Up from the album Wherever You Are.
Well, I was there when you were torn apart
Now a piece of you is gone
Somehow you wish that you could only find
A little strength to carry on
You’ve tried so hard to make it on your own
That your heart has come undone
So I am here to prove that I alone
Have the power to overcome
Don't let your heart be troubled
This world will never keep you down
It will never keep you down
So rise up, my friend
No, this will never be the end
So rise up, my friend
And live again
I didn’t want you to feel this way
It's not what life was meant to be
And so for you, my friend, I’ll take your shame
You can give it all to me
'Cause you've wrestled demons every day
And they've dragged you to your knees
But in your weakness you will learn to find
That I will always be your strength
In life or in death
Through joy or regret
And all of the secret things you have done
No matter what comes, my friend
Nothing can keep you from the love of God
"It sometimes feels as if "real life" is about how we deal with whatever is thrown our way while we journey on... on through the triumphs, on through the failures, and on through the status quo. Real life. It is so hard to move on with it when we feel so dead inside. Every ounce of energy depleted, every ray of hope gone, every thing empty. But there exists a voice. One that our hearts recognize. One that calls us out of our tomb, and revives our hope, and restores our strength. "Rise Up" and "keep going" He shouts. This is not the end. We have only just begun. We decided that this song would be a great way to finish the record. It wraps up the message of hope that we are striving to communicate, and the truth that God will meet you Wherever You Are. It again is a song that begins with melancholy emotion and than erupts into a liberating charge and anthem that sends you on your way, ready to embrace all that "Real Life" has to offer." - Brad Avery (Third Day)
It's been a rough week. It's going to be even more rough next week. Lord I am on my knees and I have no strength of my own to conquer these demons. I desperately need your strength.
