juggling act...

An acquaintance of mine asked a great question several days ago: 'To anyone who has had a "mentor" in their life....What is the most important thing that he or she taught you?"

She probably doesn't realize it but she unofficially mentors many and does it in the best way by asking questions that make people think. Her question certainly made me think as I reflected on a lesson my former manager/mentor taught me some time ago. The year was 2003 and I had just been promoted to unit manager. He was my boss when I was a supervisor and assumed the role of mentor once I transitioned into the new job. His words of wisdom?

'You are now at a place where you have a great deal of responsibility, 'many balls in the air'. Understand that eventually, one will drop .... MAKE SURE IT'S NOT THE GLASS ONE!

I thought he was teaching me a business principle. Turns out he was teaching me a life principle. And, through all of the ups and downs and twists and turns, the balancing and juggling act called life - there are several balls which indeed have dropped ... all except the glass one. 

That glass ball, well, it represents my faith in God and commitment to His principles. I have learned that many things can drop: some will bounce so that you can grab hold of them again and some will fall and roll away. Yet this one ball has remained.

Don't allow its description to fool you. While it is the glass ball, it is by no means fragile. Yet it is of ultimate importance, which is why it cannot be dropped. It is foundational and can redeem any of the other balls of life which may get away from you.

How important is faith? Important enough for Jesus to tell Peter, 'I have prayed for you that your faith would not fail ...' (Lk. 22:32) And I believe He has prayed that same prayer for many of us. If we can hold onto faith, it will take care of all the other 'balls'. Seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness, all other things shall be added as well. (Mt. 6:33)

Therefore,

'Let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering ...'

Hebrews 10:23

Let us cling unswervingly to this one thing, 'faith': in God, through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Afterall, it is certainly much easier to hold onto one ball than it is to juggle fifty.

In this life, with all that we must manage, at least one ball will inevitably drop ... Make Sure It's Not the Glass One!  

a living hope

I have something that has been on my heart for several days and it just will not move for some reason. My prayer is that I can make the following statement without people jumping to a bunch of conclusions.

In the past few years with all that I have experienced personally and in my interactions with others, I have come to this conclusion:
     "There are many people who have contemplated suicide who do not want to die ... they simply want the pain to end."

They are not completely hopeless as some would presume. Saved or unsaved, they have a hope and an expectation that what lies on the other side must be better than what they are currently experiencing - if for no other reason than the simple fact that they can rest.

To those who have never been there, and cannot fathom how someone could reach that place:

• Do you know what it is like to be so exhausted from living that an eternal rest seems like a better option than awaking to face one more draining day all over again?
• Can you understand and have a heart of compassion for someone who feels that way?
• Or do you scoff, spew out a Bible verse and flippantly declare, 'It's not that serious.'? 

My heart aches for those who hurt. And I have come to the realization that but for Christ in my life (and me actively in Him), there am I.

'I would have lost hope unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.' [my emphasis] Psalm 27:13

So tonight I am praying ....
Praying that God will touch every person who is so tired of living that death seems like the only viable alternative. I pray that He would speak to you in a personal way, unique and specific to how you can hear Him best. He loves you so much and He is present, even though it may not feel that way.

My pastor made a comment on Sunday and he said, 'There are people that are so lonely ... they can be an auditorium full of people and feel completely alone ... sometimes you need Jesus with some skin.'

Powerful statements ...
And while I pray that He would speak to you individually and directly, through a dream, through a song, through a sermon,  to your heart, through a breeze, a flower or  a touch ... I pray also that He would send you a 'Jesus with some skin', a child of God who will not judge or condemn or minimize your pain - but one who is blessed with discernment and understanding, who radiates the love and compassion of Christ in such a way that it will be difficult to discern the difference.

Yes, God is bigger than anything you are facing and He is well able to handle it. However, I have come to the realization that the biggest hurdle for most people to jump is not in comprehending or believing in the ability of God but in having the assurance of His willingness, believing that He desires to do something meaningful for them.  He does ...

Therefore, I pray that He would comfort you with an everlasting and powerful comfort. And I pray that His love would be as real and tangible as the pain has been ... and so much more so.

I pray that you would see and experience His goodness in the land of the living and that it would be the foundation for a living hope - a match which ignites a desire to stay among us and fulfill the plan and purpose that God has for you life. He does indeed have a good plan, to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a real hope and a future. (Jer. 29:11)

'Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the waters, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green and, it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.'  Jeremiah 17:7-8

Another word for trust is confidence or hope. It is one thing to place confidence in the LORD. However, it is something entirely different when He becomes the very confidence or hope that you possess. Jesus Christ, who died so that we could live, is our hope and confidence.

May the LORD God Almighty, truly bless you and keep you...
May His Holy Spirit supply you with strength and wisdom
May Christ be your living hope and give you hope to live ...