Suffering Archives — Page 2 of 2

Today’s Word Is HOPE

Tue-Mar-31-2020

We sang a song in church when I was young called “Whispering Hope.” One phrase in it said, “hope is an anchor to keep us, holding both steadfast and sure.” I always liked that analogy … hope is an anchor.

Hope looks to the future with confidence and waits patiently. The Apostle Paul said, “But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” – (Romans 8:24b-25)

Some hopes are directed at short term needs, and others will take a lifetime to fulfill. Some hopes are directed toward material things, which we know can only bring limited satisfaction and sometimes even create dissatisfaction. How so? Sometimes we discover that “this” was not as fulfilling as we thought it would be, and now we need something more to make us happy.

This cycle is somewhat like the hamster in the wheel, it is never-ending. None of us will ever get enough “stuff” if we only listen to our worldly desires. Now … I am not belittling our desires for material things, I have a few myself. But I am mindful that the marketing we are bombarded with is constantly pushing us to want, want, want. If we become consumed by this, it could diminish our trust in God and our life of faith. Let us hope in the higher things.

The Apostle Paul says: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1^st Timothy 6:17)

Look at it this way … Would you rather have a gallon of milk … or be friends with the person who owns the cow? After all, milk spoils. Milk here would symbolize material things which diminish with time. As friends of God, our needs are supplied day by day, including both physical needs and the inner blessings of joy, fulfillment, love, and peace from the Perfect Father. God tends to give out the milk (physical needs) by the glass, by the sip, by the gallon, whatever he chooses for you, so as to build your confidence in his provision. Thus, the material things, as we mature, become secondary. Our hope has refocused on higher things. It makes you shake your head that you ever worried so much about the material things.

If you’re just getting provision by the sip right now, fear not, God owns it all … everything. So, our hope is rightly directed toward Him. And it is amazing what holding onto hope can do to hold you steady during the storms of life. And no matter how many of our hopes become fulfilled, one at a time, there is always something more to hope for, the greatest and final of these being the hope of heaven.

Remember this … Genuine hope and true joy increase together. On Jesus’ last evening with the disciples in the upper room, he explained as well as he could about his imminent sacrifice and the work of the Holy Spirit to follow, linking them to the joy that is ahead. He didn’t want them to be alarmed or destroyed by the terrible ordeal of his death, because it was all for a reason. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11) He was planting a new hope within them, one which would bring joy.

You will know the measure of your trust in God, and you will experience his peace when your unfulfilled hopes do not prevent your joy from being complete. Unfulfilled hopes do not bring us down, they build us up by creating anticipation of God’s good future for us.

Don’t let go of hope and don’t lose your joy,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is COST

Tue-Mar-24-2020

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” — Muhammad Ali

Every accomplishment, every activity, every possession, and every relationship each has a cost and a benefit.

The prize fighter Ali knew that the great accomplishment of a world championship of boxing would come at the high cost of rigorous and relentless training. The world is full of people who have underachieved simply because they were not willing to do the unpleasant, difficult steps to become who they were meant to be and to achieve the goals along the way that lead to success in life.

Every activity in which we participate is the same. Going to the movies has a cost and a benefit. The same is true with our possessions. Sometimes folks pay more than what something is worth at face value because they may get an added intangible benefit. For instance, wearing a certain brand of clothing or watch, driving a certain car, or living in a certain neighborhood might seem of greater value than just the base value of the item.

Before we invest in something, we count the cost to see if it is worth it, and if we are willing or able to pay the price.

Jesus said, “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:28)

There’s a hidden meaning here … You and I have enough resources to do lots of things in life. But only one had the ability and willingness to accomplish the redemption of mankind from sin. That was God. So, he “counted the cost,” which was the life of his son. And he was willing to pay thar price. The benefit of God’s restoring the relationship between himself and his people came at a high cost.

There are certain things that we can’t achieve on our own, because it is not within our ability to accomplish or we are unable to pay the price. The cost is too high. Salvation is one of those things.

Did God achieve the goal of restoring our relationship to him? Yes, he did. The cost was extreme. He sent his son, “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

Because of what was achieved “for” you, new doors are open “to” you. I would define success as living a life of deeply and fully loving God and passionately loving others with the love he gives us. There is a great cost and sacrifice for us in this. But his cost was infinitely higher. And the benefit is too extraordinary to measure.

The saying, “God helps those who help themselves” is not biblical. It is the other way around! God gave “his help” up front, for free. That’s what opens the door for us to achieve greatness. Once we receive this gift of salvation, we learn that we will have to make sacrifices in order to accomplish the purposes that God placed within us. But it is well worth it for us, just as it was for him.

Is there something difficult, unpleasant, or sacrificial that you need to do that has a higher purpose? Jesus set the example and unlocked the door for you to do that.

Have a blessed day,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is NOURISHED

Tue-Mar-17-2020

If you were promised that all your physical needs (food, clothing, shelter) would be taken care of for the rest of your life, it would still not guarantee that you would be happy or fulfilled or have no worries.

Lots of us, including myself, have at some point in life fallen into thinking that what we need is enough money to meet our basic needs and pay our bills, and then we could stop worrying. However, such is not the case. When those surface needs for survival are pushed aside, underneath is a great longing to be accepted and to feel like our life is worth something to others.

And deeper still within us is that place that can only be filled by the love, grace, and Spirit of God, offered by Grace and received by Faith. This is the foundation. No amount of emotional or physical provision will stand throughout life unless built on God our Rock. Jesus spoke in Mathew 7:24 about building a house on Rock or Sand. For those who built on Rock, when the storms came, “it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” But if built on Sand, “it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Sometimes God makes a miraculous provision of our surface needs in time of drought and desperation to remind us that we should rely on his grace as the provision for our deepest needs in our inner being. While traveling through the desert for 40 years, the Israelites of the Old Testament encountered several times of crisis where food, water, or safety was in short supply. For one period of time, God supplied “manna,” which was an unusual substance like bread that would appear on the ground in the morning. Free food! Along with the following reminder …

“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)

What goes into our mind and our heart is far more important for “living” than what goes into our stomach. Sometimes God will miraculously get us through some bad times by supplying food, money, or other provisions. What he wants to teach us is to trust him, and to seek deeper nourishment than just food.

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he went through temptations in the desert, and during those 40 days he fasted (nothing to eat). So, Satan tempted him to turn stones into bread. (I’m sure some of those rocks were in the shape of a nice freshly baked loaf of homemade bread.) Jesus resisted by quoting the above passage of Scripture from Isaiah … We do not live by bread alone, but by God’s Word.

Keep yourself spiritually nourished … this is one of the keys to “really living.” You have deeper needs than the physical, or the money, or being surrounded by convenience. Your soul, your heart, and your mind all need God-designed nourishment.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2)

Today’s Word Is FRAGILE

Mon-Mar-16-2020

How do you handle people who seem to be fragile? It is tempting to tell people who can’t deal with their problems to just “get over it.” There might be a handful of people for whom that works, but that approach is rarely effective. So, let’s consider two types of fragile people.

First – there are some folks who are always fragile; it’s a way of life, and a method of avoiding further hurt. It takes great commitment to help this kind of person without “enabling” their negative behavior. Usually this kind of person needs more help than we can give, and perhaps we should seek outside wisdom.

What they “say” they need is “a little help.” What they “actually” need is “inner healing” in a profound way. This idea sounds extremely frightening to them. They may get angry or hurt if you won’t give them, once again, a small dose of help. Their best hope is with a person who loves and is committed to them enough to find them some serious help. Counseling would be good. In a spiritual sense, they may need inner healing from a ministry that is equipped for it. Celebrate Recovery helps with addictions. Sozo ministries, Formational Counseling, and other ministries like them can help facilitate amazing emotional healing from God. I was involved many years with The Order of St. Luke the Physician and saw many people receive life-changing inner healing.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, and you are unsure how to proceed, please contact me.

Next … there are also folks who are temporarily fragile, such as during a hospital stay, or following the death of a loved one, or any number of other crises. It might also describe someone who has dealt with a difficult situation for a long time and is getting extremely weary and discouraged or close to falling apart. Sometimes this extends to the whole family, as all may be suffering and fragile. But these would be folks who normally seem to “have it together,” and who could get back on their feet through the love of Jesus and the assistance of their family and God’s family. For people such as this, we can apply the words of Isaiah the prophet, who said this about the coming Messiah Jesus … “A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish…” (Isaiah 42:3)

Being honest with people about their situation is necessary of course, but we can also be mindful that there is sometimes very little capacity remaining for dealing with their condition. In this sense, we are dealing with people who are like “bruised reeds” or “dimly burning wicks.” It is quite an art to help people deal with stress and hurt and to assist them with healing, while simultaneously caring for their personhood in such a way that we do not break their spirit or extinguish their hope. It is worth developing the ability to accomplish this.

Remember, we will occasionally run into one of those “always fragile” people who resist help. But many others will respond positively to our ability to get them through this present difficulty, even in their fragile state. And perhaps they will gain strength, wisdom, and maturity because of it, even to the point of gaining a passion to help others like you have helped them.

If you are one of those dimly burning wicks or bruised reeds, tell someone that you trust. Tell them that you are willing to listen, and that you need someone to walk with you. Find a friend, a chaplain, a pastor, a counselor, someone wise and trustworthy. If you have been thinking about this … then don’t put that off any longer. There is hope. Life can be better.

And if you know of a friend, co-worker, or family member who is “fragile” but won’t say so – then however gently you must do it, offer them some hope and support.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is DEATH

Tue-Mar-10-2020

I have suffered the loss of a dear pastor friend this past week, and two weeks before that, sat with a couple whose wedding I performed a year ago, as they suffered the loss of a child after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Death is not a fun subject, but it must be discussed at some point. I frequently deal with death and tragedy. It is heart-rending to sit with a mother whose son has just died from an overdose, or with a husband at the bedside of his wife who just took her final breath, or with a couple whose child expired before being born. Sometimes there just are no words, and the only thing to do is to be present and, if necessary, to remind folks that God is also present.

There are many people who haven’t prepared to deal with death and dying. All of us know that we will deal with it eventually – either the death of a loved one – or facing our own death. Medical personnel want to help us work toward healthy progress and avoid serious physical issues. But they also know that we must stay prepared for life-threatening emergencies. I have seen a trauma team assisting a patient while at the same time trying to help a friend or family member who faints, panics, freezes, or falls apart during emergency response. I have occasionally seen the same thing at funeral homes, where a room full of mourners contains a few who are screaming, arguing, or out of control.

There is a fine line here. Death brings out intense emotions. It is natural and normal. The question I am posing today is whether there is a way we can prepare ourselves for our own death or the death of another. My answer is “yes … sort of.”

The best and only method I know of that works is the faith method. My faith journey has involved going deeper and deeper into the love of God. Whenever I think I have figured out how much God loves me – it turns out there’s more. This creates a peace so profound that panic, stress, and anxiety can’t survive very well, because God is gradually removing the negative soil of fear that these hurtful emotions grow in and is replacing it with the fertile ground of his love, which tends to produce better fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

In my experience, people of the Christian faith (of which I am one), on average seem to handle death and tragedy better than those whose faith is non-existent or shallow at best. And those Christians who mature farther, who draw closest to God, and closest to healthy, sincere, wise, loving believers – in other words they are practicing their faith – these are the ones who do not panic or lose control when death is imminent or a reality. My siblings and I stood beside our father’s bed for the last few hours of his life. We sang his favorite hymns and told stories of his serious and humorous moments.

Can we be prepared? The reason that I said above – “yes, sort of” – is because even if we are mature and grounded enough to deal with various difficulties in life, death events still impact our emotions deeply. Tears are normal, loss is heavy sometimes. When a death occurs it is OK to say, “I was prepared, but I wasn’t prepared.”

It has been said of the statesman Hubert Humphrey that he “taught us how to live well, and he taught us how to die well.” To do so ourselves, we can affirm that God will be there for us in our time of need. If it is our own death, God can comfort us through it. If it is the death of another, we can receive assurance that God will hold us in our future, so that when a moment of loss comes, we don’t have to panic as if to conclude, “What am I going to do? I am lost. I can’t go on.” We may “feel” lost and unable to go on, but even though we may not want to go on past this loss, the Spirit will speak into our hearts that we can go on because of him.

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

I am thankful for readers who have ventured forward in faith and who help others make it through difficulties.

But, I also want to speak to someone who realizes that you are probably just treading water in the spiritual pool, someone who realizes that you probably aren’t prepared for handling tragedy, someone who needs to let God take you on a faith journey, sort of like a rafting adventure, to get out of the pool and into the river, to get tossed about a bit, to fall overboard a couple of times and experience God lifting you back into the boat, and thus learn that he will not let you sink. It’s an adventure in faith-building. If you are this person, hold tightly to God. If you know someone who is like this, encourage them to go deeper in faith and trust.

And later, when tragedy or death comes along, we will not panic. We will trust. Sadness, yes – destroyed, no.

“…If God is for us, who is against us? … Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, … nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31 selections)

I’m living by faith, even in the worst moments!

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is MISUNDERSTANDING … Plus Friday Humor

Fri-Feb-28-2020

Poor Leroy had fallen on hard times. He lost his job at the fertilizer plant, his wife had left him, his unemployment had run out, and he was evicted from his apartment. He packed what little he had in a knapsack, made a little sign that read “Will work for food,” and set off down the road on foot.

Toward the middle of the day, he came to a farmhouse. He was getting very hungry, and so he knocked on the front door. A woman answered, and Leroy explained his situation, and how he could do most anything and how hungry he was.

At first the woman wanted no part of Leroy, but he persisted. Finally she asked, “Can you paint?”

“Oh yes, ma’am,” Leroy said, “I sure can paint. I’ve done a lot of painting. Just let me show you.” The woman relented, found a can of paint and a brush and said, “You can go around back and paint the porch, and I’ll fix you some dinner.” Happily, Leroy went to work.

About 40 minutes later, Leroy appeared at the front door. “Are you finished so soon?” asked the woman. “Oh yes, ma’am,” said Leroy, “but I think you ought to know that it’s not a porch, it’s a Volvo.”

Misunderstandings can definitely create problems. I have dealt with many people who come to wrong conclusions about God because they do not understand his nature, his purposes, and his ways.

Isaiah tells us this about God’s “ways”: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

The Bible is best understood by someone who has made a commitment to Jesus as personal Savior. We make this profession of our faith based on our belief that God is a loving God, and that he provided a way for forgiveness, salvation, and freedom through the death and resurrection of his one and only Son, Jesus Christ. If ever there is a question about God’s ways and the events of our lives, we fall back on that basic belief, God is good and loving.

The story of Job in the Bible is one of suffering, as he loses his family and wealth, and thus falls into despair. How does anyone who experiences such tragedy interpret the ways of God? Well, in the process of trying to figure this out, Job has three friends who come with advice.

The first is Eliphaz (Job Chapter 4), who makes a long speech, essentially telling Job that he must be guilty of something because the innocent do not suffer such things. Job struggles with this idea, but contends that he can’t think of anything, and even if he could, it still doesn’t make sense. He wants to know why he was picked out for this.

Then comes Bildad (Job Chapter 8), who confounds Job further by asserting that God rewards good people, and therefore Job is mistaken about something. Job again mulls this over and is even more frustrated.

Finally, his friend Zophar (Job Chapter 11) gives Job a tongue-lashing rebuke, claiming all this happened because Job’s heart is not right with God.

Does any of this sound familiar? The problem with many people is that once something terrible and seemingly random strikes them, they abandon their basic assumption that God is good and loving, and has provided salvation, hope, forgiveness, and peace. Instead they assume that God is vengeful, capricious, and unfair.

To avoid adopting a misunderstanding of who God is and what he intends for us, we need to stick with that beginning assumption that brought us to Jesus. We should not come to the false conclusion that God does not love us. There must be another interpretation for the difficult events of life. We cannot let the enemy use them to lead us toward distrust and despair.

Ending today’s devotion this way seems to leave us hanging, with lots of questions for which a long discussion would be in order, but that is too much to cover today. Suffice it to say, in the long-run, sticking with our Father God, his Son the Savior, and the work of the Holy Spirit is the only approach that leads to life at its best … and certainly the only way that leads to life eternal. Like Job, we should continue the search and God will provide the answers.

Have a blessed weekend, including rest, family, and worship,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is … CIRCUMSTANCES

Wed-Nov-27-2019
“my joy doesn’t come and go with good times and bad”

The verse about “I can do all things” by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13 is popular and encouraging. But it means something more than what some people think. Philippians 4:10-14 is about Good Times & Hard Times … and how to thrive in all of them.

To do so we need to overcome what I call “try-harder” theology. You see, Paul was not saying, “I can do all things, if I try hard enough.” But that’s how many people use it.

So, “Here’s the rest of the story” …

First of all … Sometimes we need help. The Apostle Paul earned money making tents, but many times that was not enough. He still needed offerings from churches. It’s OK to ask for help. But it’s not OK to complain if someone can’t help.

Paul says (v.10) But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.

Also … True contentment is apparently hard to achieve, since so few appear to have it. Learning how to adjust to a wide range of circumstances is not popular. After all, if I go through a drought, what am I going to do about the house and car payments? We want the circumstances to adjust to us. Paul learned to adjust to them. He had a mission that was more important than circumstances.

11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Next … Without that passion for a calling or purpose in life, we often resort to bemoaning our misfortunes. When there’s plenty, we’re happy, but when we must do without … well … does our joy leave when difficulty arrives? Paul is our witness that it is possible to be as content in poverty as it is in prosperity. We will endure circumstances when we are on a mission. It could be as a schoolteacher, as a nurse, as a pastor, as a social worker, or any other job, as a parent to our children, loving our spouse, working for a non-profit or a church project. What we are passionate about will help us to disregard certain difficulties.

12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

NOW, HERE COMES THE BLESSING …

13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Some folks take this to mean that any bad circumstance can turn into a good one simply by believing it can happen, or that God will fix it for me, or that just trying harder is the way to overcome the barrier … and once the circumstance turns good, then I can rest, get the precious joy back, and be thankful that I succeeded.

But Paul is making a deeper point. “Doing all things” might just mean putting up with irritations or lack of amenities in order to accomplish a higher purpose.

Even if things are bad right now, and even if they’re going to stay bad for a while. No matter. I have God and he is enough. And my joy doesn’t come and go with good times and bad. They’re all alike to me in this sense: I am the same ‘me’ and God is the same God, regardless of my circumstances.

He is our strength in good times. He is our strength in hard times.

LAST THOUGHT …

We are not to wallow in our difficulties in order to get mileage or sympathy points out of our suffering. If things are difficult, we stay on course, and give thanks when caring people pitch in and lift us up.

14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

Stay steady in all circumstances, difficult or easy,

Chaplain Mark