The Gift and the Celebration

The entire confidence of Christianity hangs on Easter Sunday morning when Jesus Christ came up from the pit of hell and returned to a live physical form.  The resurrection broke the stranglehold that sin and death had on a law-based Jewish culture and cemented eternal life for everyone (not just for the Jews).  It completed the gift of God's grace to a sinful human race. 

I've witnessed a few incredible things in my 40-some years on this planet.  I've seen 2 space shuttles blow up and watched in disbelief.  I've also watched the surreal footage of the World Trade Center collapse on September 11.  I sat at my brother's dining room table and helped plan his funeral with him - never believing he could really ever die.

To me, it would seem unbelievable that Jesus was dead in the first place.  I'm not surprised that the group had issues with the fact that he might be alive.  I imagine there was a lot of confusion about whether Jesus was "still" alive or alive "again".  They didn't know the whole story.  In fact, they were the story.  

That's kind of where I want to focus this post.  When Jesus came to be with them all for the first time after the resurrection He asked them a question.  

Luke 24:38, 39

³⁸He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."

It's hard to determine the level of emotion Jesus was feeling when he asked the question.  Did he ask this with a loving smile on his face?  Was he frustrated at their doubts and confusion?  I wasn't there.  I don't know.  But I do know that he showed up to prove the resurrection to those who chose to meet together.  

We have the benefit of reading the story from beginning to end.  We can point to them and say "yeah - why didn't they believe?" because we know the end of the story.  Because they were the story, they didn't have the same point of reference.  Still, they were expected to believe.  

As married men, we all have our relationship struggles.  We struggle in our relationship with God.  We struggle in our relationship with our wives.  We struggle in our relationships with our kids.  Life is like that.  Nothing new here.  But when it comes to dealing with our struggles, how much belief to we have that God is here to take care of everything?  Or put another way - how little belief causes us to try to handle our struggles out of our own resources and energy?  We are our own stories.  Sometimes it's difficult to put our complete faith in God when we can't see the ending to the story.  

Unlike the disciples and the people gathered in the room in Luke 24, we have the benefit of knowing how that story ends.  True, each of us in our marriages are our own story and we might be afraid, frustrated, or angry about the current chapter we're in.  Yet, because we know the ending to that story, we can be confident in the ending to our own stories - if we believe.

Faith - believing - is a difficult thing on the nuts and bolts level.  I believe there is a God.  I believe that Jesus Christ died to save me from myself and from hell.   That's the easy part.  The hard part is to believe that God will take care of me through the current crisis chapter I'm in.  It's to believe that if I give up my relationship with my wife to God that he will make it better than it could be if I try to take care of it on my own.  It's difficult to trust that God will heal the hurts and uncertainty done to a relationship through addiction, adultery, dysfunction, terminal illness, unplanned pregnancy, car accidents, law suits, financial distress, job loss - and the list goes on.  It's difficult to trust because, in those situations, we are the story being written and we aren't sure how it will end.  

I saw the movie Bedtime Stories with my family last night.  In the movie the Adam Sandler character tells his niece and nephew that there are no happy endings in real life.  At the end of the movie, the kids and the narrator (the late father) teach him about happy endings in real life.  

In Luke 24: 34-39, Brother Luke, Jesus Christ, and our not-so-late Father God - teach us about happy endings in our real lives.  If you believe - really trust on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour level of trust - you're guaranteed a happy ending to your story.  

It's Easter weekend.   There's a lot of reason for celebration.  Yet, there's still a lot of pain and hurt out there in relationships.  If this Easter weekend isn't a weekend of celebration for you, leave a comment so we can pray for you.  And if you need to reach out for some  help, we can do that too.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Waiting on God

I don't wait well.  I want what I want - and I want it right now.  After all, I have a plan and it's a good one.  In fact, I think it's best.  

I'm waiting on God right now.  I'm waiting for an answer on a job interview.  Well, in the bigger picture - I'm waiting for a job.  Not just any job, I suppose.   I'm waiting for the opportunity that God makes for me.  And - I'm going absolutely insane - waiting.  

My painter friend Donnie and I were having  beer the other night and kvetching over our lack of income and our frustrations with all things that have to do with money - including God.   He pointed out to me that in Proverbs 3:5 it says "Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding".  

Now, I don't know what you're waiting on.  You could be waiting on the right woman to come along so you can get married, or you're waiting for the pregnancy test to say you're going to be a daddy.  You could be waiting for this tormenting legal battle to finally end, or for some medical problem to run it's course and finally be in the rear view mirror.  Maybe you're in my boat and you're just waiting for a job.

Whatever the case may be and no matter how frustrating it is to sit and look at the clock and wait for God to make his move - we have to remember that He holds the entire universe in his hands.   He set the stars in the night sky and makes the sun come up every day and go down every night.  What's more, He knows your thoughts and the desires of your heart.  He's got it covered.

I may be watching the clock, waiting for the phone to ring - and the call may never come.  I know that.  But it's really difficult to trust God to take care of me when I don't have a job, I have $2 in my pocket, the kids are asking what's for dinner, and the utility bills are all overdue. 

I don't get it.   I don't understand.  But it's not my understanding that counts - as much as I'd like to think it is.  Trust - and don't count on what you know.  God has the master plan.  

One more parting thought from the pastor of my church.   God is at his best when I am at my worst.  If you need some company while you wait - leave a comment.  We can keep you company and - just maybe - help you with a little different perspective.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Do you really want to know?

I know this guy who struggles as a self-employed painter.  He has a wonderful wife, eight children (3 girls / 5 boys), and a small petting zoo.  Like a lot of people, he lives paycheck to paycheck and takes jobs where he can get them.  If you've ever heard the  phrase "Find a job you like and you'll never work a day in your life." - that's Donny.  He loves to paint and he can't imagine doing anything else to make a living.  

I've been helping Donny paint a condo this week.  We've had a lot of time to get to know each other better than we have before.  Last night he picked me up to head out to the condo and I asked him "How's it going"?  His reply was "Do you really want to know"?  Then he told me that he's been working for a temp agency that markets itself to construction companies and builders.  They've been keeping him pretty busy during the days and he's been able to line up some side work for the evenings.  With this, he's felt like he's been able to get out from behind the eight-ball a bit financially.  Yesterday, they told him that they don't have any  more work for him.  They'd call when they need him.  

So, Donny has been laid off.  He's angry, scared, and discouraged.  But there's something very cool about what happened during that ride to the condo.  It's not that I had a chance to encourage him.  It's not that I urged him to keep his eyes on God and that He will provide for his family.  It's not that I had the chance to pray with him (which I didn't do but maybe should have).  The really cool part of the whole thing is that he asked me "Do you really want to know"?

Men tend to be isolationists.  Popular culture tells us that we don't cry, we suck it up and deal with it, and we need to be strong enough to handle things on our own.  While I'm thankful that Donny didn't cry, he made the choice to share and receive the encouragement that can come from another male who's been through some of the same experiences.  He didn't feel like he could suck it up and deal with it by himself.  He needed something more.

We all need something more than ourselves.  We need to support each other, encourage each other.  That's how it's supposed to work.