Interruptions Have Purpose by Susan Barclay

 "God shakes us so that the things that can't be shaken will remain." ~Linda Bevere

When heaven touches earth, nothing stays the same.

I don't know about you, but I'm happiest when things are running along evenly, hakuna matata. No worries, no problems. Problems? Who needs 'em?

The thing is though, as long as the sailing is smooth, we tend to take life, and God, for granted. We can keep on the path without seeking God's Word to light it, we can fail to praise God for the blessings we enjoy, we can skip prayer because, hey, everything's going our way! 

But God loves us too much to let us continue along the merry road of ease. He wants us to grow, He wants us to know Him, He wants us to turn to Him, He wants us to become more like His Son (who, for the record, experienced greater suffering than we will ever know), and He wants us to develop compassion for others so we can come alongside them with empathy and understanding. And so He gives us divine interruptions to accomplish His purposes.

The Bible offers us example after example of those who experienced divine interruptions. There's the example of Job, a godly man who didn't lack closeness with God, but who still had his beautiful life disrupted by many sorrows. Unknown to him, his story would be an encouragement to many through the centuries, a reminder that we have an enemy who attacks us because we belong to God, that we need to stand firm in our faith and our knowledge of God's character, that sometimes there are greater purposes in our trials than what we can see on the surface. From him we learn our rightful position under God: He is greater, His thoughts and ways are not ours, we are completely dependent on Him for everything. We also see that "The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the former part" (Job 42:12a). In very tangible ways, God repays him "for the years the locusts have eaten" (Joel 2:25a). At the end, Job is also a better man. His faith is proven and he is even more humble than when he began.

There's the example of Jonah, the prophet who ran away when God sent him to preach judgement to the Ninevites. Jonah didn't want to go because he knew that God was a God of mercy and would forgive the enemies of Jonah's people, the Jews, if they repented of their evil ways. But God thwarted Jonah's escape by sending a huge storm on the sea, then planting him in the belly of a whale before having him spit up on the shore. Talk about a divine interruption! Jonah went to Nineveh reluctantly, did the job God sent him to do, and was filled with anger and bitterness when God acted exactly as he'd expected in response to Nineveh's contrition. We don't know how Jonah responded to God's rebuke at the end of Jonah chapter 4, but I like to think that like Job, Jonah was humbled by the truth of God's Word to him: people made in God's image and whom He loves are worth more than the lives of plants that have no souls. I like to think that Jonah went forward with greater care and compassion for fellow human beings and that wherever God sent him thereafter, he went willingly, eager to see what God would do.

There's the example of Saul, a most excellent Jew, who thought he was doing the right thing - God's work - in persecuting and killing Christians. He thought he was doing the right thing, that is, until a divine interruption on the road to Damascus, where he was struck blind and had a powerful encounter with the risen Christ. Jesus sends him into Damascus to meet Ananais who restores his sight and where he is filled with the Holy Spirit. Without this supernatural intrusion in his life, Saul would have gone on killing believers; instead he became Paul, God's "chosen instrument to proclaim [the name of Christ] to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel" (Acts 9:15b) and gave us many of the books of our New Testament. He suffered much for the cause of Christ but there is no turning back for one who has had his or her life so dramatically transformed by the gospel.

I've had my own experience of what I would call divine interruptions in the last few years. I've shared them before but I'll share them again, briefly, for new readers or those who need reminding. Both of my children have left the path of Life to follow the world and its pleasures; both of them have boomeranged in and out of our home at one time or another; my mom has had several health issues and been staying with me and my husband for well over a year now. At the moment both my daughter and my mom are with us and that's a dynamic that doesn't always play nicely in the sandbox.

Is there anything more important to us than the people God put closest to us to love? Anything more likely to press us into Him through prayer? My husband and I are certainly more in prayer and the Word than we have ever been. And God has been growing us as we remain firm on our foundation of faith, providing others on similar journeys to walk alongside us. We rejoice in what God is going to do and are confident that He is working behind the scenes even as He was working in Job's life, in Jonah's, and in Paul's. We will not be moved by what we see, but remain fixed on His promises, sure of His character and goodness.

Honestly, I hope that whatever God has for us in these occurrences, we learn from them what we need to, are pruned in the ways we need pruning, keep those things that need keeping, and get rid of those things that are holding us back. May we "[r]un in such a way as to get the prize" (1 Corinthians 9:24b).

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For more about Susan Barclay and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com

Mending Hearts & Loving People by Alan Anderson

The writing prompt question for this month’s blog post is an interesting one. It asks, “In what way do your writing, speaking, music, publishing and/or other ministries bring hope and redemption to others?”

I have spent a lot of my ministry or work years with people who are grieving a loss, seriously ill and those who are dying. I call them my teachers. I now include them in my writing. I believe I’ve written about them in this blog before.

I protect the privacy of my teachers by being cautious with how I write about my experiences with them. If I use names they are fictitious. I may also combine their stories with others or summarize them.

For the most part my teachers are like me, ordinary people. Like me they are not world famous and they seem to be content with that. They had childhoods, attended school, grew up, worked, raised families and some reached a retirement stage in life. In time their health was compromised and life experienced a major adjustment.

As my teachers came to trust me I was allowed into their lives to hear their stories. Their stories are real. They are stories glowing with pride as they talk about their families. They are stories of remorse as they mention regrets. Stories that include the stinging pain of loved ones no longer with us. My teachers remind me through their stories that life is precious and is to be savored.

My approach when serving people is to come as an ambassador of God’s love. I have always given my teachers a piece of my heart. To approach them as if I want to fix them would come short of showing compassion. My teachers have primarily been people who are broken in some way. I come alongside them as one also broken, yet living in hope.

I summarize my writing and work/ministry by one simple phrase. My phrase is “Touched by grief and held by hope.” It identifies me with other broken people. I have experienced grief. I live embraced by hope. This phrase found me after years of coming alongside people and listening to them.

Listening to hurting people is an act of healing that brings hope. I don’t mean it cures them from their suffering. It allows them to know someone cares about the pain in their hearts. Through the years a number of my teachers have said, “thank you for listening.” That “thank you” is a beautiful expression from someone perhaps lonely or held captive by suffering.

I cannot think about my teachers without being emotional. They taught me how to be present, to truly listen without the need to speak. I tell myself if I don’t listen to people, I don’t have the right to speak into their lives.

Do you have teachers in your life? Who are they? Relish them. Hold them close to your hopeful heart. Let them know how much you appreciate and love them. They will accept this with grace.

Beware of taking your teachers for granted. Realize that they may not always be with you. Treasure your time with them. These are the people who make the world a better place. Be one of them. That will be your greatest gift to them.

Blog: scarredjoy.wordpress.com

Brokenness Makes Us Whole - Steph Beth Nickel

Only in God’s “upside down” kingdom can we be made whole by being broken. (Actually, it’s this world that’s upside down. His is definitely the right way up.)

Let’s consider Romans 5:3-5: “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (NIV).

This past year over half a dozen members of our church family have said their final goodbyes to loved ones. Some had a strong faith and there is great comfort in that. Still, it isn’t easy to say goodbye to your son—even though he suffered for a long time, and, in a real way, it was a relief to know that suffering was over.

And then their was the wife of many years who had to give her husband permission to stop holding on for her and go home to be with the Lord. (Just 15 minutes after she did so, he entered the presence of His Saviour.)

How about the wife who lost her husband to lung cancer, which developed because of his many years working with asbestos? She knows it’s the Lord who has carried her through and continues to do so.

Another lady and her husband had just moved into the seniors’ building across the driveway from our church. They were both confined to wheelchairs and had several medical issues. Shortly after they moved, on Christmas Day, her husband passed away. As if that weren’t enough to send her into a tailspin, approximately two weeks later, her ailing mother succumbed as well. I can’t even begin to imagine.

Each one of these precious souls could have thrown up her hands and given up, broken, hurting, defeated. But that’s not what happened.

Although her emotions are still raw, the lady who lost both her husband and her mom has volunteered to participate in our church’s monthly clothing giveaway, seeking to bless others in need. Both ladies who lost their husband of many decades have both expressed how they sense God’s presence and the prayers of His people sustaining them. And the elderly lady who lost her son is truly thankful he has found freedom from the suffering he endured for so long.

Have they learned to glory in their sufferings? I’m not sure. But I do know they serve as an encouragement—and challenge—to me and others.

From our perspective, God’s way of doing things is, indeed, upside down. But, as He works in our circumstances and in us, He brings about wholeness from our brokenness.

Japan: Suffering Front and Centre - Bryan Norford

The devastation in Japan again prompts the question, “Does God really care about suffering?” It is an understandable response to adversity that appears random and pointless. After all, common wisdom suggests that tragedies like Japan are evidence that God does not care, or even exist.

On his pilgrimage towards Christianity, C. S. Lewis wondered why, in the presence of so much suffering, this belief in a God of love persisted. For him, this became part of the evidence for a God of love. In fact, the Bible helps us understand that this contradiction between God’s love and our suffering is only “skin deep.”

This doesn’t mean that Christians have all the answers to suffering. Unfortunately, the pain of our suffering often hinders us from understanding that God is involved in the pain with us. At the same time, we cannot always grasp the incapacitating nature of another’s pain from the outside.

It is only when we can feel or fully empathize with another’s pain that we can have meaningful discussion on it. Bridging this gap is difficult: it is too easy to give wrong or pat answers. Yet an objective understanding of scriptural truth about suffering is necessary if we are to find significance to our pain.

Hardship will often blunt our perception and the fog of pain obscure reality, but there will be occasions for clear thinking. For instance, will we consider James’ use of “joy” and “trials” in the same sentence (James 1:2) too bizarre for consideration, or recognize his intention to bring meaning to our distress?

James’ uses this tactic of surprise to entice us to consider the benefit gained from life’s tragedies; they are not insignificant or unproductive. James’ notes the primary gain for all who undergo trials—the strengthening of our faith.

The original Greek word for “trial” is used for both words test and temptation in English Bible translations. The New Testament authors understood that all trials—“trials of many kinds” as James declares—are a test, a temptation to disbelieve.

This is not to glorify suffering, often wrongly embraced as means to spiritual rewards. Jesus always sought to alleviate suffering and for most of us it is unwanted and temporary, however interminable it may seem at the time.

But when it is unavoidable, it is a tool for deepening our faith and our lives. As a ship’s captain matures in his understanding of his trade by weathering the storms at sea, so by persevering in our faith during the storms of life we may become “mature and complete, not lacking in anything.”

Bruce Waltke, a translator of the Old Testament, tells the story of his young son facing a painful vaccination. His father took him towards the source of his fear—the needle. Despite the boy’s fear, he clung more tightly to him! The son’s simple faith in his father’s overall care was greater than his fear of the pain.

During times of despair and temptation to run from God, let our trust in His overarching care drive us to cling more tightly to Him and his word. Then we’re prepared with comfort for the suffering and weary.

Some further thoughts on the Japanese tragedy can be found at www.norfords.blogpsot.com/ 

Wounds Heal All Time - Pam Mytroen

It’s backwards but more true than the original idiom, don't you think? I am thankful that I have not suffered extreme loss, yet for my past hurts, time is merely a thin skin that covers each one.

When I was seven years old I had a cold sore on my lip. It finally began to heal and scab over. But I couldn’t leave it alone. I would pick at it until the fresh warm blood oozed out. Then it would sting all over again and the healing process would resume.

It seems that our afflictions are like that cold sore. All it takes is a memory or a touch and those old wounds start to bleed again. The gash is still there, just under the surface.

If only we could erase the pains we’ve endured and the ugly scars that remind us. Wouldn’t life be so much easier? We’d have no regrets, no flush of shame, and no painful stab at the recall of such memories.

We could wake up each day and carry on as if nothing ever happened, as if we’d never been abused or betrayed.

Ted Dekker has some wise advice that he shares through one of his characters in his novel “Kiss”.

He says, “...your history is no less important to your survival than your ability to breathe. In the end, you can only determine whether to saturate your memories with pain or with perspective.

Forgetting is not an option. I tell you the truth now; Pain was not God’s plan for this life. It is a reality, but it is not part of the plan.

“Pain or perspective. ...That’s all that’s within your control.”

It’s a difficult pill to swallow. Fresh bruises blind us. Time gives us distance from them and some perspective, yet it does not heal.

There are hurts in my life that I still do not understand. Why did God allow me to go through that awful scrape? I ask. I never did feel his presence in certain valleys. Yet that does not change God. He was there.

Someday He will guide me back through those memories with sagacity and I will become a stronger person because of the perspective He gives me.

God does not take away our memories. He does not wipe our minds clean of loss. In fact He asks us to purposely revisit those aches. He says, “Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt,” (Deuteronomy 5:15). He wants us to recall the snap of the whip on our bleeding backs? God doesn't stop there. He finishes, "and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty Hand...”

The Lord wants us to remember the things of the past. He instructs the children of Israel again just before they enter the land of promise: “Remember the days of long ago.”

However, we are to focus not on the darkness, but on our Deliverer. Not on the hurt, but on the Healer.

The words of Jeremiah may resonate as he was honest in his recall of suffering. “I can never forget these awful years; ...Yet there is one ray of hope: his compassion never ends...Great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:20-23).

“That’s the point of holding onto memory,” continues Dekker, “delivery, not darkness.”

Pam Mytroen