Todays bible verse : Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2-3 ESV) I seriously doubt that many or any of us find joy as we go through our trials or crisis. On the contrary, most of us feel victimized, get miserable, blame others and even isolate ourselves from friends and family. I know folks who cut off themselves from church, family support systems and even refuse to be comforted. We all react differently to crisis. Our spiritual maturity doesnt always lead us down the same path. Sometimes people stop coming to church for long periods only to show up and say they were going through some stuff. That always puzzles me, especially when the individual was a faithful church goer. I find that people run away from God when they really should be running towards God. Here is one of the greatest testimonies of steadfastness in the bible, interestingly enough it wasnt demonstrated by the victim but by his friends. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:3-5 ESV) Imagine, removing the roof of a house just to have audience with God. How strong is your faith? Are you willing to make such monumental efforts just to be in the presence of God? One of the many lessons I learned as a young Seminarian at Yale Divinity School while working with Labor Unions is the message to keep stepping. That philosophy is at the heart and soul of the Labor Union movement in America. They constantly warned us that not all rallies are going to be successful, not all fights are going to be won. Not all causes are going to be popular, but you Keep stepping. Stay steadfast !
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 05:06:27 +0000
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