LONG-TERM TRIALS

In chapter five of the book of John, we read about the time when Jesus encountered a man who had suffered from an infirmity for 38 years. There was a pool called Bethesda, and occasionally an angel would stir up the water, and the next person who got into the pool would be healed. Jesus knew that this guy had suffered a long time, so He approached him and asked him if he wanted to be healed. The man poured out his frustration: “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me” (John 5:7 NKJV). Then Jesus healed him. We have here some great encouragement for those of us who have endured difficulties for a long time. Not only does Jesus care about the discouraging, no-win situations, He also has compassion when we are left alone with no one to help us. If life is tough and there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, be assured that the Lord truly does care and is always there for us.

FRIENDSHIP

As a child, I was very shy and quiet. This made kindergarten very difficult for me, because I didn’t know my classmates very well, and I didn’t really have friends. I remember being all alone at playtime, feeling very left out. Things were pretty much like this for six and a half years. I developed a deep belief that I didn’t belong anywhere among my peers, that I wasn’t likable, that I had to be entertaining to have friends. I’ve spent my life believing all this, but none of it is true. I asked the Lord about this, and the first thing that came to mind was these song lyrics: “I don’t want clever conversation; I never want to work that hard. I just want someone that I can talk to—I want you just the way you are” (“Just the Way You Are”, Billy Joel). Then He told me: “I made you one of a kind. I made you just the way I wanted you to be. You don’t have to fit someone else’s idea of what a good friend is like. Love builds up others (1 Corinthians 8:1). Let My love flow through you to others, and you will be great in My eyes, because love is the greatest attribute of all.” Dear Christians, these things are true of all of us. GOD lives in us, and He leads us in the way of love. That makes us very good at friendship.

ONE WITH GOD

I just watched the movie Pacific Rim. It was a lot like Godzilla vs. the Transformers, except that the Transformers were called Jaegers. Here’s the interesting part: inside each Jaeger were two people whose brains were somehow connected so that they could fight monsters better. These two people knew each other’s thoughts and memories, which of course led to a romantic interest between Raleigh and Mako, the hero and heroine. The thought of being understood by someone is very appealing, and in the real world, God is better at this than anyone else. He makes the effort to search us and know our hearts and our ways (Psalm 139:1-3). To those who believe in Him he gives His mind (1 Corinthians 2:16). But God unites with us in a much deeper way than this. When we give ourselves to Him, He puts His Spirit (i.e. Himself) in us, and we become one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17). His love is poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5), making it possible to be one with Him who is love. God creates in the human heart a desire for belonging, acceptance, and permanent, faithful, intimate love. We have these desires because we are made in His image, and He has these desires. Life is about following the desires of our hearts to where they take us: straight to God. The Lord Himself is the fulfillment of our deepest desires, and we are the fulfillment of His.

THE PRODIGAL'S FATHER

The father heart of God is seen so well in the parable of the prodigal. When the wayward son comes home, his compassionate father embraces him and throws a big party. What can I say? It’s beautiful. But that’s not the whole story. The older son gets upset because his father killed the fatted calf for his errant brother, whereas there hadn’t been any parties for him. Notice how the father responds to this complaint: “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours” (Luke 15:31 NKJV). He shared all of his possessions and all of himself with his son. There is literally nothing more that he could possibly give. This is the heart of our God.

JUDGING OTHERS I can be forgiving to judgmental people as long as I’m sure they’re not judging me. When I think that I’m being judged, my thought is: this hurts, and I can live without you judgmental people. So I avoid them. At a deeper level, when someone is judging me, I feel like I’m not good enough. It makes me feel that I have to lie up to expectations to earn acceptance. And I’m not sure I’ll be able to pull that off. That produces anxiety, and loneliness isn’t as intensely painful as anxiety, so I pull away from people. Clearly Jesus wants us to love those who have ungracious attitudes. How does one do that without getting emotionally devastated? Here’s what Jesus said to me about this: You don’t earn acceptance. I love sinners. And: You are good enough. I took away your sin and made you holy (John 1:29, Col. 3:12, Rom. 5:17). Jesus, please help us believe these truths in our hearts and not just in our heads.

WORKS VS. FAITH The other night I had more family members at my dinner table than I had planned for, and consequently everyone was going to get small portions of the entrée. This upset me quite a bit, and in my stressed-out state I said some unkind things. Somewhere deep inside me is the belief that I have to do everything right to be successful and to be a good person. Then when things don’t go smoothly, I come unglued. I knew that the Lord was not seeing the situation as I was. In His sweet and gentle way, He reminded me that He is in favor of serving others in love, not serving others in order to feel good about oneself. Since love is His highest priority, I decided to read about godly love in First Corinthians 13. There was good news and bad news. The bad news: If we have not love, we are nothing. The good news: God is love, and His Spirit lives in His people. So all the qualities of love that are listed in 1 Corinthians 13 are qualities that every Christian has been given. Now there’s a reason to feel good about oneself! Just because I don’t always behave in a loving way doesn’t mean I am an unloving person, though Satan would surely want me to think that. As I looked at 1 Corinthians 13, I realized that over the years the Lord has been helping me to grow in love, as He does with all of His children. Thank You, Lord!