God’s Love in a Broken World
Can suffering and sorrow usher us into a deeper understanding of God’s peace, joy and love?
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The Monkey Trap
Troublesome monkeys have been known to be caught with a simple trap which plays on their unwillingness to open their hands. A coconut is hollowed out with a hole just big enough for the monkey’s hand to fit in. Sweet rice is placed inside. When a monkey reaches inside and grabs the bait, their fist is stuck in the hole. Unwilling to open their hands and give up the prize, the monkey is trapped and eventually caught.
We can learn from their ignorant stubbornness. We’re to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind. But we can be fooled into loving the good things of life above Him. God wants us to experience Him as our highest Joy. When we hold tightly to earthly idols, our hearts are trapped and limited to fleeting, temporal joys. We’re unstable and tossed into the changing seas of circumstance. But we need to know God is at work in us to conform us into the image of His Son and to free us into the complete Joy of knowing Him as our Pearl of Great Value, worth all we have.
With-ness – Communion with God
As I prepare to write on our deck, our little shih apso rescue dog yelps from our porch to join me. On Good Friday, she was found roaming the streets. We picked her up for adoption the next day and named her Lily[1]. Lily longs to be with us every second of the day. Without us, she pines with compassionate longing.
Scripture confirms that God’s desire to be with us is even more intense than Lily’s. Us communing with God is a major theme in the Bible. He created us so that we could enjoy fellowship with Him and, by doing so, bring Him glory.[2] It brings Him great pleasure to share Himself with us. So much so that He was willing to send forth His only Son to die on a Roman cross to restore our fellowship, broken by our sin.[3]
Impacting, but Leaving the Outcome to God
Growing up in the south in the 60s, before pro teams moved to Atlanta, Charlotte and Florida, there were no locally teams to choose from. So, as a kid, I picked the New York Yankees, Boston Celtics and Baltimore Colts. A strange geographical mix, but I’ve remained faithfully loyal through lean years and championships.
One of my heroes all these years has been Bobby Richardson, second baseman for the Yankees from 1955 until 1966. Winner of three world championships, five gold gloves and eight All Star appearances, he is the only player in MLB history to win the World Series MVP for the losing team. But for all his heroics on the field Bobby is most known for his influence off the field.
This summer, some friends and I met Bobby[1] at a restaurant in his hometown of Sumter, South Carolina. We’d all read his book, Impact Player, and he was gracious enough to invite us to his favorite restaurant to discuss it. We wanted to pay for his lunch, but when we discovered the restaurant didn’t take credit cards, he picked up the tab. Awkward! Bobby then invited us back to his house to meet his wife and to see his baseball memorabilia.
Peace, Joy and Abounding Hope
As I got off work today my mood was sinking. It lingered as I dropped by Publix on the way home. The cashier, named Gage, was super joyous in his conversations. Normally, this is how I feel, but my gloominess was a stark contrast to his exuberance.
The Joy of Complete Forgiveness
Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. (Psalm 51:7-9 NASB)
We all have stories. Image yours including adultery, murder and coverup. What would it be like waking up each morning with a hidden blanket of guilt and shame to drag around your day? The coverup requires you to live separated from your heart, the wellspring of your life.[1] Courage is cut off. Dis-couragement sets in. This was David’s story before he wrote the verses above.
If we’re honest, we’ve all dealt with some level of guilt and shame involving our choices. We may not have physically committed adultery and murder, but in our pursuits of personal happiness and fulfillment we’ve chosen us over from God.
What do we do?
Joy is a Person
I’ve been a joy seeker from an early age. As a child, before life’s troubles crusted my heart, I tasted joy: Christmas smells and lights, waking up to freshly fallen snow, strawberries from my grandfather’s garden, family vacations in Vermont.
These whiffs awakened desires for lasting joy built into me by my Creator. I went searching for more, but lost the scent along the way, traveling many wrong roads.
God doesn’t want us settling for finite pleasures to fulfill our need for eternal joy.
Live Christ
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21 NASB)
Even though we’ve been married for 37, my bride and I shoot to keep date nights a part of our routine. Recently we tried a nearby “fancy” restaurant which had a nice atmosphere, but, except for their carrot cake, less than delicious food. Even so, we relished the new experience and continued our date with a movie at home.
We rented The Long Goodbye, an inspiring documentary about Kara Tippetts’ struggle with terminal cancer. In one scene, Kara shared vulnerably about a night of weeping after learning her cancer had spread. She was wrestling with Philippians 1:21, admitting to God she wasn’t sure she could trust that “dying is gain”.
Quoting her: “And there was this ever so clear answer, ‘Oh, I’ve got that taken care of. Kara, do you believe that to live is Christ.’” Kara went on to confess it was hard “to live is Christ” in the midst of her battle, but she wanted to.
Only to Praise You
If we live to praise the Lord, other things we hold higher must be stripped away, but the power of single minded focus on Him will set all else in proper motion.
Let my soul live that it may praise you. (Psalm 119:175a NASB)
Christ Our Life
How do we keep the brokenness of life from changing our moods day by day and moment by moment? What’s the secret of having solid hope and joy in the midst of our trials. Can Christ be our identity, our source and our reason for living? How do we orient our lives from the firm foundation of eternal truth?