Friday, October 14, 2022
Much Needed Help
Jerry slumped over his desk in the corner of the small office, just a few feet from the coffee counter where he spent most of his time making customers happy. The numbers didn’t add up. He wasn’t turning enough of a profit to keep his coffee shop a viable business. His product was good, his location was ideal, but he just wasn’t pulling in enough people.
As he pondered his situation, he took stock of his own strengths and weakness. He was a good businessman, in that he was frugal, prompt and diligent. He was friendly and seemed to make a great impression on those he served. He was honest and thorough, and he wasn’t afraid of hard work. But evidently that was not enough.
Then he remembered Jade. In fact, he wondered why he had not considered him sooner; Jade was a guy who could probably help. Jerry was a franchise owner. The franchise had provided training at their headquarters six months earlier when he had begun this venture. While at headquarters, Jade, a marketing expert had introduced himself, and told them he was available to help them at any time. Jerry rifled through his drawer until he located the business card the expert had handed him. He breathed a sigh of relief and dialed the number.
One month later Jerry had more business than he could handle. He marveled at how one, well-placed call could make such a difference. The marketing expert had given him tips and resources he didn’t realize existed. Then there were the links to pep talks and testimonials that gave him courage to press on. It made him grateful that someone who was gifted in marketing was part of the franchise team, and that he was willing to share his expertise so that Jerry’s business could prosper. Eventually, the whole franchise would benefit from Jade’s shared advice.
Have you ever considered that you might have some gifts and abilities that, when shared, could make a huge difference in someone else’s life? St. Paul, writing to some first century Christians put it this way:
If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. (Romans 12:8-10 MSG)
Friday, October 07, 2022
God Weeps
She tiptoed down the hallway of her beloved home, honing in on the quiet sobs that had awakened her. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since her mother had tucked her into bed, but tomorrow would be her first day of third grade, and she was sleeping even lighter than usual. Her little hands felt for the familiar chair rail and doorways, as it was too dark to see. She was not afraid. Her heart hurt as she listened to the nearly inaudible groans coming from the family room. She was more puzzled than anything, because it almost sounded like her father weeping, and she had never seen her father cry.
As she carefully poked her head into the living room the moonlight revealed her big, strong father doubled over in his recliner with his head buried in his hands. Something was very wrong. What could have happened to cause such grief? On impulse she dashed to his side, draped her arms over his neck and cried, “Daddy, what’s wrong? What happened?”
Startled, her father sat upright, pulling his daughter onto his lap. Then he began to weep even more profusely. Tears flowed freely. The sorrow was coming from deep inside. It was as if a dam had burst. It took a few minutes for him to gain composure so he could answer the frantic inquiries of his precious little daughter, but he reluctantly shared the devastating news - she would find out sooner or later anyway.
“Robert ran away,” he sobbed.
“Ran away?” she queried. “Why would he do that, and why are you crying instead of going after him?”
After a long pause, her father summarized the past five years of his teenage son’s life that had finally culminated in this dilemma: “I was trying to give him guidance about some poor choices he was making, but he thought I was closed-minded and just trying to control him, so he left. I love him so much I could only tell him the truth, but he is listening to his friends and social media heroes more than me. I am crying because my heart is broken. I am afraid of all the pain he will experience, because he won’t let me help him.”
God weeps for the same reason. He explained His reasons for weeping through Jeremiah, his weeping prophet: “The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay,” says the LORD. “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” (Jeremiah 2:12-13 NLT). God wants to be our source for love, not cheap relationships. God wants to be our source for peace, not chemicals. God wants to be our source for joy, not shallow, tantalizing thrills.
Because of His incredible love, God weeps for those who refuse to live by His counsel. Like a wayward teen, much of mankind pursues all the familiar things that have consistently destroyed countless lives for thousands of years. Ignoring the carnage, they plunge headlong into immorality and fantasy, in complete rebellion against their loving Father. Each generation seems to make the same mistakes, only the destruction always builds until whole communities and societies implode. Meanwhile God sends love messages and weeps.
The good news is that Our Heavenly Father has such a big heart that whenever any one of His children come to their senses, He welcomes them back with open arms. He is weeping for those who have not yet realized that the moral laws of the universe cannot be changed and that He, as their loving Father can only wait until they exercise their free will to come back to the good life He wants them to live.
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