This is the day that you have been trying to avoid. It is the day that you have been asked to jump farther than you can jump, run faster than you can run, and stand longer than you can stand. It is the day that you have been asked to face your own shortcomings and failings. It is the moment when, no matter how you line it out, draw it up or piece it together, you can not accomplish what is being asked. This day is not yesterday, today or tomorrow. It is actually all of them put together. It is your everyday!
1 Peter 1:13-16
13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
Why has the Lord asked this of us, when He knows even better than we do, that we can not complete this task? What possibly could we benefit by being reminded that we are going to fall on our face as we try to live this life? Is it even worth trying?
Over the years I have treated this scripture very carefully, as to try and defend God and His words. I did not want anyone to feel too badly about themselves and the fact that they should plan to fail every day of their lives. There have even been times that I have wanted to skip it all together because surely God could not mean what He says there.
I am finding, however, that God does not need anyone, especially me, to defend His words; and that which is written in His book is exactly what He has purposed. This scripture reminds us how much Jesus needed to come die for our sins, and just how much we need to seek Him on a moment-by-moment basis. He wants to make it very clear that in our own strength, we will only fall on our face and damage our lives and those around us. We must seek God's strength and direction every day we live.
When you wake up in the morning and have a bad attitude.... Ask God for Help!
When your marriage has weeds growing in it that must be pulled.... Ask God for Help!
When you look at your checkbook and you know that there's just no way... Ask God for Help!
When you look at your child and you wonder what God was thinking... Ask God for Help!
When you are at work and your boss won't let up.... Ask God for Help!
When you are lonely and your world feels empty... Ask God for Help!
When the fear inside of you begins to overtake your decision making... Ask God for Help!
I can keep writing these all day long. Whatever it is you are facing, do not try and accomplish it on your own! You are not smart enough, strong enough, stable enough or anything enough to handle the pressures of this life.
So, back to the question I asked earlier... "Is it even worth trying?"
YES! I was watching the movie "Popeye" last night with my son, and Popeye was up against a horrible situation. He not only had Bluto trying to steal his treasure, his girlfriend, and PeeWee (the child that the stork brought him), but it also seemed that everyone who was trying to help him only made things worse. And did I mention a giant squid was attacking them as well? He was at his wit's end, sinking in the water, losing all his strength. He was ready to give up. Then it happened! His father opened the treasure box and gave Popeye the treasure. It was spinach! Oh yes! Once Popeye ate the spinach he had the power to beat up Bluto, get Olive Oyl and Peewee back. And yes, he even hit the giant squid and sent him halfway around the world. All because he stopped trying to be strong enough by himself and ate his spinach.
Though this movie may be a funny way to explain God's empowerment in our lives, the parallelism into Popeye's world is amazing. We each have personally tried to fight our "Blutos" and our "Giant Squids" and if we are honest with ourselves, we will have to admit that we have failed every time. As we try to do all this ourselves, our Father in Heaven is trying to remind us that He has a treasure that will give you all of the answers, strength and fortitude to live your daily life. That treasure is a relationship with Jesus Christ. The way that we can keep this relationship strong is to daily be filled by the Holy Spirit, take time to read God's word, and seek God moment by moment in your day.
In other words...
EAT YOUR SPINACH!
Take a moment and reflect in your own life. What is the "Grand Canyon" that you are being asked to face? Take some time to give it to the Lord! Ask Him what He thinks of the situation and how you are to respond. You may find that instead of jumping the canyon, He has made a whole new path for you to get to the other side. Or maybe... just maybe... He will give you wings.
5 comments:
Thank you so much for this, Pastor Kris! The Lord speaks to His children in so many ways, and I know He has used your blog to do just that in my life. Thank you for the encouragement! God bless you!
Hey PK,
I am so glad to have your new blog site to refer to. It could not have come at a better time. Maybe 800 days or so ago would have been better but I’ll take the encouragement when I can get it!! I’ve not had a chance to respond to your first posting as I like to think and process your comments, views and questions before I respond. However, I am very familiar with this situation and your question “Is it even worth trying?” as I have been living in the “Valley” for sometime. The load is truly heavy.
The simplest answer (if there is such a thing), as Christian full on Believers in Christ, not trying or giving up is NOT an option. This sounds so much easier to do than it is. Someone standing on the outside can not phantom what someone dealing with questioning their faith and the loss of hope is going through. It is a very lonely and desolate place. I am certain I will not be the last one to question my Faith or Hope. I can only pray my experience and questionable time in the “Valley” can benefit someone else.
Using the Bible as my personal “Instruction Manual” (yes, I should read it more often) I’ve learned many things. First, you can not complete the task the Lord puts before you with out His help. That’s why it’s so difficult, Faith for me is not easy as I don’t feel I have control. When I don’t have control I need help and I don’t want help, I want to do it myself. The Jews, when lead out of Egypt were given something tangible to see the Lords presences. Shade from the sun, light and warmth during the night, yet they still questioned. Their food actually fell from the sky.
Second, we need to fellowship with other Christians. When our times become too difficult for us to handle, our true friends will carry us. My favorite story in the Bible is Mark 2:1-12 when Jesus heals a paralytic. In verse 5 it is clear, Jesus says it is by “their” faith the man was healed. It was the faith of his true friends who caused Jesus to heal this man.
Finally, “is it even worth trying” does not compute. Our load is heavy, our “true” friends our few, our faith is questioned, our hope seems more hopeless than not. But we continue forward, we are warriors with the scares of battle to prove it. Our lives and trials are a testament not by what we have but by what we do. We cower to no one, the Lord our God has set our path straight. All we have to do is walk it. I don’t recall seeing anything saying our path would be level, just straight before us.
Your True Friend,
Rick
I think it is interesting that you mentioned control. Losing the illusion of control is one of the most difficult things for me to face. I call it the illusion of control because we truly do not have any control in the beginning. We are taught that we are in control, we fight for control, we will even maim and kill to protect this control that does not even exist. There is only one who is in control and for whatever reason He does not always give us His reasons for the details of life we face.
So now instead of fighting for some false control, I am fighting to keep myself at the feet of the one who is in control. I am finding this is a much more difficult battle, but one that will keep my feet planted and my mind clear. You were correct when you said we are at war-but this war rages within us!
Seriously, are you saying I am something to over come? I can't help that I am Olive Oyle-ish. Well, I WAS. Oh, the memories.
I like this post because it IS important to keep trying. Paul thanked God for equipping him for the long hard journey. We aren't any different. God has given us, or will, what we need to handle things. And as long as we stay on our side of the fight, God will be able to accomplish what he wants through our struggles. Our side of the fight means not trying to handle things God hasn't asked us to. Sort of like 'shut up and move over'
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