Fiancé Noodle Soup for the Soul

Suggested Reading: Joshua 1:1-9

Not long ago, I was a little under the weather and it got me thinking about when my wife and I first started dating. Shortly after we got together, we took turns being sick. When she got sick, I brought some things by her dorm to cheer her up and, hopefully, help her feel a little better. I don't remember what all I took, but I remember what she did when I got sick. She drove just outside of town to the house I shared with two other roommates (and it was difficult to find if you weren't yet very familiar with it) and made me chicken noodle soup. Then she sat next to me on the couch and stayed with me for a while. It took me a couple days to get better, but I didn't seem to notice being sick as much when she was there with me. It was just difficult to feel bad when she was sitting next to me. Even today when I get sick, I still feel bad, but it's hard to remember that I feel bad when she sits next to me. Her mere presence is enough to boost my spirit.

Being sick or weary is not something unfamiliar to Christians. Quite often, we, like the everyone else on the planet, face difficulty and hardship, illness or trouble. Some people become disillusioned when these difficult times come, disappointed that Jesus has not, somehow, prevented these hard times. But nowhere in scripture does God promise us an easy life. Yes, there are general statements about how the lives of righteous people are blessed while the lives of the wicked are not and about how God will protect the righteous while bringing about the ultimate downfall of the wicked. But God never promised a life free from trouble and pain. What God did promise was that he would never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5).

God's promise to never leave or forsake us does not mean that we will never run into trouble. Rather, it means that God will be with us in the middle of that trouble. "So what?" you say. "I've heard all that before, but what good is that? I'm still going through all of this!"

When my future wife brought me soup and sat with me while I was sick, her presence did not heal me of my illness. But it certainly made it much more bearable. I may still have been sick, but I didn't feel as sick because someone I loved (and who loved me) was by my side. God's presence does not always take away the problems or the heartache of life, but when we are focused on God's presence in our lives instead of the trouble we face, we find heartache and trouble much easier to endure.

Whatever you are going through right now, don't trivialize it or pretend it's not as tough as it really is. Just focus on the presence of the God who loves you in the middle of it. God's presence may not make it easier, but you will find the problems are more bearable. 

Bear Crawls and Shipwrecks

Suggested Reading: Galatians 6:1-10

In the film Facing the Giants, Coach Grant Taylor tries to turn a losing football team at a private Christian school into a winning football team by teaching them the principle of giving God glory in every aspect of their lives. One of the leaders on his team is a young defensive player named Brock. Brock's biggest failing is that he always wants to quit when he gets tired. In order to teach Brock a little bit about perception, he has Brock do bear crawls, blindfolded,  with a teammate on his back. Coach Taylor tells Brock that he wants him to go 20 yards, but since Brock cannot see how far he has gone, Taylor pushes him the entire length of the football field. This lesson about enduring when you are tired serves Brock well when, in the climactic game, a very tired Brock manages to hold the defense together for one last stop, giving his team a chance to win.

At times, trying to live a good life can make you feel like Brock. You've given everything you have to give, you've worn yourself out serving God and helping people, and you just don't think you can go any farther. You're tired. You want to quit, to throw in the towel, declare that you are done trying to do the right thing all the time, trying to serve, trying to give. You're just done. Maybe, after a break, you can start up again. Maybe when you've had a chance to recover your strength you can go back for more. You just need a chance to stop, to not worry about doing the right thing or being the right person or serving.

Now, I'm not talking about general exhaustion here. I'm not talking about the kind of exhaustion where you haven't gotten enough sleep and you've worked extra hours and you are physically drained. I'm talking about spiritual exhaustion, the kind where you have given everything of yourself that you have to give and there is nothing left. Your emotions are spent, you have no more compassion left in the reservoir, no more patience left for people who mistreat you and take advantage of you, no more cheeks you can turn, no more self-control you can exert. You're ready to quit doing good. You can't do it anymore. You don't have the energy and it's not worth it anyway. That kind of spiritual exhaustion.

If you have ever been in that spot, like I have been, Paul has something to say. "We must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up" (Galatians 6:9, HCSB).  "Sure, Paul, that's easier said than done," I can hear someone responding right now. "Do you know how long I've been doing this? Do you know how much I've given?" But if you know what Paul went through for the cause of Christ, then you know Paul is giving us more than empty platitudes. Paul describes his own experiences like this:  

Five times I received 39 lashes from Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods by the Romans. Once I was stoned by my enemies. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the open country, dangers on the sea, and dangers among false brothers; labor and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and lacking clothing (2 Corinthians 11:25-27, HCSB).

Paul isn't telling us to pretend we don't get frustrated or weary. He isn't telling us that we have to put on a brave face and lie about how we feel. He is simply saying, "Don't give up." Put one foot in front of the other. Keep pushing forward. Keep giving and working, even when it doesn't look like it's paying off because "we will reap at the proper time, if we don't give up." We never know when it will happen. We never know what it will look like. But if we hang in there and keep living this life, it will be worth it. Don't give up. 

Only Casting Out the Annoying Demons

Suggested Reading: Acts 16:16-34

There is a sentence in Acts 16 that has always bugged me. Paul and Silas were in Philippi as missionaries and they encountered a young woman who was possessed by a spirit with the ability to tell fortunes. This young woman followed them around yelling, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved" (Acts 16:17, NIV) Then the passage tells us in Acts 16:18, "She kept this up for many days" (NIV).

What?  A woman possessed by an evil spirit followed them around for days and Paul didn't cast it out of her? How does that make any sense at all?

Maybe Paul enjoyed the free advertising. Maybe Paul knew what would happen when he finally did cast the spirit out (her owners would start a riot). Maybe Paul wasn't quite sure that it was an evil spirit. I don't know why Paul waited as long as he did. But for days, this woman continued to follow them around yelling, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved!" Until, finally, in frustration, Paul did turn around and cast out the spirit. The girl's owners did get upset and start a riotous mob that resulted in Paul and Silas being beaten and imprisoned. After that, most of us are familiar with the story of how Paul and Silas sang hymns in the prison, how an earthquake at midnight shook the prison, opened the doors, and freed all the prisoners. We know how the jailer came in ready to kill himself for allowing the prisoners to escape, only to be stopped by Paul and Silas because the prisoners hadn't gone anywhere. When the jailer realized that he did not have to kill himself, he asked Paul and Silas a question that most of us have probably never been asked, "What must I do to be saved?"

How did the jailer know to ask that question? 

Because Paul and Silas had been followed around the city for many days by a demon-possessed woman who kept shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved!"

Sometimes, it seems like God is being cruel because God allows hard things to occur far longer than we think they should. Sometimes we wonder where God can possibly be in the middle of such horrible suffering and injustice. I am not qualified to speak to every such instance but I do know that, sometimes, just like with Lazarus' death and resurrection, and with this woman's prolonged demonic torment, God allows hard things to continue because they will bring about something very good. When we find ourselves in the middle of something hard or painful, and we find ourselves asking, "God, how long will You let this continue?" Remember, the jailer and his family who were saved because he knew the right question to ask, and trust that God will never allow you to suffer in vain.

When Should You Throw In the Towel?

Suggested Reading: Hebrews 10:19-39

When I was working on my Master's Degree, about two years into my four year program, I got really tired of school. I had already spent five years working on my undergrad and was now working on another degree at the same school with the same professors. Some of the work was getting tedious. Some of the professors were driving me crazy. I was working full time and supporting a wife and two children so all of my studying got done between 11:00 pm and 3:00 am. I was tired. I was worn out. I was sick of dealing with school and felt the very real temptation to quit. I had other things to spend my energy on. But when I actually considered quitting, I was immediately struck by the amount of time and money I would have wasted. Then I started thinking about the effort that would have been flushed down the drain and the time I had spent putting up with all of the hassles that come with school. I eventually came to the conclusion that quitting school would be the equivalent of throwing away all of that time, effort and money and I couldn't do it.

However difficult working on my Master's Degree may have been, living an authentic, Christ-centered Christian life can be even more demanding. Jesus tried to prepare us for that when he counseled his listeners to count the cost before following him. He knew that doing the right thing, when few others were doing so themselves, would, at times, be frustrating. Jesus knew that following his example would lead to rejection and persecution. He knew that following the call of God would sometimes lead us down a less financially beneficial path than we might otherwise have chosen. We could continue through scripture and read about Paul when he complained that the apostles were considered the "refuse of the earth" compared to everyone else. Scripture tries to prepare us for a hard life as followers of Christ.

But however much we think we are prepared, when we find ourselves in the midst of those difficult circumstances, faced with troubles and problems we might not ever have faced without following Christ, the temptation to quit, to throw in the towel and walk away, can always surface. When those times come, when the road is tough and we consider how much easier it might be to just give up, consider these words from the book of Hebrews: "Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised" (Hebrews 10:36, NLT).

When the tough times come and you are tempted to quit, remember what you have endured. Refuse to throw away your time, your effort, and your trust in God. Choose to push through. Finish your course. You may have to endure some difficult paths now, but you will be rewarded for your patient endurance.

A Boxing Match With Five Thousand Hungry Men

Suggested Reading: Matthew 14:13-21

I have always enjoyed the Rocky movies. They don't have the greatest acting or even the greatest plots but they have a central character who is compelling. The characteristic that makes Rocky Rocky is the fact that he never quits. Rocky was not all that skilled as a fighter, though he trained his rear end off. But Rocky was never willing to lay down. Even when beaten to a bloody pulp, Rocky would get up and go another round until he was finally able to find an opening in his increasingly tired opponent. That unwillingness to let being tired, beaten up, or bloody keep him down is what turned Rocky into a champion.

Believe it or not, Rocky had a lot in common with Jesus. In Matthew 14, Jesus had had a grueling schedule and then got the news that John the Baptist had been murdered by Herod. Exhausted, physically and emotionally, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. (Matthew 14:13-14, NLT).  In spite of the fact that he was tired and that he wanted time alone to deal with the emotional toll of John the Baptist's death, Jesus didn't turn away a chance for ministry when it presented itself. And when he took the time to minister, even in his weakened state, God chose to bring about one of Jesus' great miracles. Jesus' compassion led to a time of teaching and then to Jesus' command that the disciples feed all of these people. Jesus, low on energy, low on resources, and needing rest, fed five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fish, even though no one would have faulted Jesus for taking some time off to recover.

Sometimes life gets exhausting. Life can be hard and overwhelming. You may be tired and emotionally drained. But whatever your condition, don't turn away from the opportunities for ministry that God brings directly into your path. Your time of greatest weakness may be the time God chooses to use you in the greatest ways.