“There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death.” Prov. 16:25
Ever feel as if you’re up to your neck in water with the H20 level still rising? Soon, you fear your head will be cocked back against your neck, and all that will remain dry are your puckered-up lips, to suck in one last little bit of oxygen (like breathing through a straw before you drown). ~~Overwhelming challenges can certainly make us feel this way…work challenges (or lack of work), relationship challenges, physical or health challenges and the like.
What to do as believers when we feel like this? One thing that we would be wise NOT to do is what Anne Heche exemplified in the movie Six Days, Seven Nights. In this movie, Heche’s and Harrison Ford’s small plane has just crashed on a deserted island somewhere in the South Pacific. With no way to contact civilization, any rescue appears doubtful. So Heche decides to take things into her own hands, her cell phone first. She quickly discovers she has no cell coverage, rendering her “rescue phone” useless. Next, she discovers a rubber raft in the back of the crashed plane. Ford excitedly begs her NOT to pull that cord…but Heche pulls it anyway. Unable to exit the plane, the flotation devise fills the cabin, squishing Anne against the plane’s side with her face smashed against the window. Ford walks around to her side of the plane and calmly asks her, “Have you had enough?” She responds with a muffled, “Forget YOU!”…Ford can’t really make out what she has just said (or he was just so amused by the whole scene he had to ask twice), so he asks her again, “Have you had enough?” Again, she responds “FORGET YOU!!!” But this time, to emphasize her point, she twists and contorts so she can get her hand near her face, and gestures him with her middle finger.
What a scene! Shaun and I laughed and laughed…Why? Well you see, in a twisted way, this scene amused us because it illustrates what we sadly do with God from time to time. Figuratively speaking, it’s like God calmly walks around to our side of the plane, amusingly looks in the window at our squished faces and asks, “S&B…you guys had enough yet?” And there, we 2 ‘wee’ humans sit, looking back at Almighty God with our faces all smashed against the window and say, “Forget you, Lord, we’ve got this one!” …Kind of like a 2 yr. old saying to ones parent, “MINE! I do it MYSELF!!!” ~~~So foolish…who do we really think we are? (“There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death!”)
So what do we do when times are painfully difficult?
Pv. 3:7-8 tell us, “Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” And the verses just prior exhort us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Pv. 3:5-6. Do the next right thing.
In Heb. 12, Paul urges us to endure hardship as a discipline. “…God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Heb 12:10-1. Well, this is very true…but when I am hurting, I also need to hear something like this from my Lord, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” 2 Chr. 16:9. (The truth/love equation we discussed last week.)
Oh Lord, that we can begin to comprehend and to trust in Your unfathomable love for us! Help us Lord. Help the motivations of our hearts to be in line with Yours.
Have a faith-filled week!
Much love,
Shaun and Betsy
