Sorrow and Joy

 

Psalm 23:4 "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff--they comfort me."

    

In his book "A Grief Observed," C.S Lewis expounds his perspective on the countless difficulties and periods of sadness in his life.  Among them, he candidly describes the process of grieving for his wife, who died of cancer after three years of marriage.  C.S. Lewis married his wife when he was 45 and expected to have a long, happy life with her.  However, his wife's death redefined his characterization of faith and God. 

In his book, he wrote,

"God never answers my prayer. Where is He? Whenever I need Him, He hides himself more deeply and remains in a secret place."

However, his anger and bewilderment at God reached a turning point when his wife spoke one simple sentence before she died: "I'm more peaceful than ever because of God."

 

I have met a handful of people who have turned away from their faith because God did not answer their prayers on time, and who even became atheists because they didn't understand the coexistence of pain and joy in their Spiritual journey.

Is it true that, as children of God, our lives should be absent of suffering and sorrow?

Doesn't the Scripture prove that many great people of God went through a multitude of unpleasant moments?  

That is why David confessed in this Psalm that the darkness wasn't removed, but he walked through it with God's strength.

      

Living a successful life both in the world and on our Spiritual journey does not depend on how content we are without our life's difficulties, but on our belief that God's peace and grace are present in the midst of the hardships of our lives.  The strength of God's power is maximized when we are determined to be confident in Him during seemingly insurmountable life challenges.  Look beneath the surface of your life conflict. Then you will find God's great blessings

Is the Scripture secondary?  

John 15:5 "Apart from me, you can do nothing."  

Two of my friends use an old cell phone, which we call today "Dinosaurs."  I have seen those old types of phones on TV shows about antiques.  They use the old cellphones not because they are super-frugal or don't want the headache of learning a new technology, but they use the phones because they are still functioning and therefore they don't feel the need to buy new ones.  The major task of a cellphone is to communicate with whomever,  wherever we go.  I have a newly updated Android phone with numerous applications that I don't use often.  The primary functions of a phone are overpowered by all of the secondary necessities.

 

I have been contemplating this for a while.  I have numerous books and ministry resources in my office and home.  Most of them are all Scripture and church-related. 

But do I really need all of these references? 

Do I use all of them? Maybe or maybe not? 

I confess that I often spend more time referring to these resources than to Scripture itself. I might think that all of these references are needed to support my studies of Scripture, but they actually do the opposite.

 

 This paradox could easily be seen in our spiritual journey on earth. 

I believe that we are pursuing growth in faith and spirit and desiring to become mature Christians.  For this purpose alone, we need two things; the Scripture and prayer.  These two primary resources get us to the upper level of spirituality.  Listening to the best of the best Bible seminars is important, but it does not make the only major impact on our faith.  What will have the biggest impact on our faith will be spending time alone with God, reading the Scripture, and eventually focusing on God's voice. We already have everything in our hands to be like Christ - the Word of God and prayer.  Let's use this primary access to God and save the other applications for another time.

 

An unnoticeable act

 

2 Cor 6:10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

 

For 23 years, an old man had worked hard to develop a few restaurant businesses. At the age of 63, his businesses went belly up, and therefore ended up lying in a hospital bed. He lost everything, including his hope and enthusiasm. Being both physically and mentally fragile, he couldn't work anymore, thus being hospitalized.

Then, one day at the hospital, he noticed an elderly custodian. He looked cheerful and kept singing a hymn... while cleaning the floor. With curiosity, he asked the custodian what made him so happy. The custodian looked at him and answered, "I have Jesus in my heart and a big house in heaven. I will live there when leaving this world." The elderly custodian inspired him, so he started to attend church after being released from the hospital. One day, while praying, he felt that God wanted him to open a new restaurant serving only one meal: fried chicken. As you can already imagine, his name was Colonel Henry Sanders, and today, everyone in the world knows his famous "finger-licking good" restaurant "Kentucky Fried Chicken."

 

What do you notice in Henry Sanders' story?

Maybe you are inspired by his remarkable turnabout at the age of 63. Perhaps you will be amazed at his successful business developments. I know I certainly am. But I would like to pay more attention to the elderly custodian. He was just an old man who was cleaning the floor. In the hospital no one really was concerned about who he was and what he was doing. No one recognized his job. But his singing changed Henry Sanders' sense of lost hope. His simple faith awakened Henry's sleeping dream and gave him the true meaning of his life. The old man's dirty job made Henry Sanders the world's greatest franchise legend. 

Jesus’ Lesson 101

In Jr. High school, there was a flower garden alongside the school building. A particular flower, called a scarlet sage, was planted beautifully in the garden. This flower produces some natural honey inside. When you pick one of its petals that sticks out of another petal, you can taste honey at the end of it. 

So there were a few signs along the garden that would say,

                   "Don't pick the petals; they are for the bees and butterflies."

I had no idea what that meant. So, one day my friend and I picked most of the petals and sucked the honey out of them.  Of course, I was busted by a teacher. 

For my punishment, I took extra science classes and learned that the flower's pollen carried by bees or butterflies can produce healthier flowers and honey. I saw the sign but overlooked it. So I needed to take the Science 101 class.

 

Jesus showed many wonders and signs to people, but they didn't pay attention to them. Instead, they asked Him to perform other miracles they wanted to see.

It often happens that we treat the words of God like the sign next to the garden. We steal a glance at it and pass by it. So, we misunderstand or ignore what the words truly say. The reason is that we only fix our eyes on the facts and data in the Scripture. We overlook what it says about our lives.

What does Moses' life tell me about my life? Jonah was in a fish belly for three days. What does it have to do with me?

Bible Class 101 - Is the Scripture verse relating to you now?       

Open Your Box

Luke 7:37 "Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment." 

"Hesitation" and "fear..."  those words were what the woman felt right in front of the Pharisee's house.  She might have felt uncertain about facing the unfriendly spirits in the house.  It is not hard to imagine that when walking into the house, she was going to be unwelcomed and disrespected by the religious people.  It took a lot of courage for her to face those situations, and required her to have a strong sense of belief that everything was going to be all right.  Being embarrassed and humiliated, the woman stepped into the house. There was no turning back.  She felt a sense of hostility and mockery. She probably didn't care, but it is hard to tell.  Then she broke the seemingly expensive alabaster box. The ointment was poured out and diffused throughout the room.  Tears were coming down from her eyes.  Wasn't it a bizarre scene that a woman out of the blue walked in,cried, kissed, and then broke a fragrant box?  On top of it all, why was she crying?  Did the woman know that Jesus was going to sacrifice His life on the cross?  We cannot tell.  One thing we know for sure from the Scriptures is that she wanted to break out of her miserable life.  She longed for the freedom from feeling guilty, isolated, and discriminated against.  That was the reason that made her courageously step into the house filled with "hostile people."

 

Her life was desolate and she had nothing to leave behind.  When she broke the alabaster box, maybe she also wanted to crack all of her heart breaking feelings.  She did it.  Then the biggest comfort came to her; expected or not. Jesus said, "Go in peace, your faith saved you."  What faith did she have?  It must be the one where her faith was seen by Jesus who saw through her heart, understood her painful paths - what she had been through. Thus, cracking the alabaster box is like opening her heart, exposing her shameful life - feelings of desperation and sadness.  She did not have anything to show Jesus, except that darkness.  

 

It could be the truth that God's grace abundantly comes upon us when we hit rock bottom.  When we have nothing to lose or we're stuck at a dead end corner, His grace is present in our deepest heart, and sprouts a peaceful voice in it - "Everything will be all right, go in peace."  God is waiting for us to break our boxes.  Showing our disgraceful secrets is nothing shocking to Him, because God already knows what is there.  When we open our boxes, it gives out the sweetest smell; the most shameful things are the sweetest aroma to Him

When Your Voice Is Silent...

Genesis 40:13,23   13 But remember me when it is well with you; please do me the kindness to make mention of me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this place.   23 Yet the chief cup bearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Joseph was a sincere and faithful man of God.  His faith persisted through tough times and difficult circumstances.  It is evident that he completely relied on the Lord, and followed the vision or voice of God bestowed upon him.  

However, in prison, it seems that Joseph did something unusual; he asked the chief cupbearer for help.  There is nothing wrong in asking for help, but up until this point, the Scripture explains that Joseph was a patient and loyal man to God.  He was symbolized as the figure that absolutely was dependent on God's guidance and providence.

However, in prison, Joseph was desensitized to the voice of God, which made him raise his voice and say, "Please remember me," relying on a man who seemed to have a better chance at helping him.  Unfortunately, the cup bearer forgot about Joseph for two years.  His desperate begging was in vain, and Joseph finally realized that he was not remembered.  It made Joseph revisit his place of solitude and silence.  Then God set off to work on his life again when he completely surrendered the possibility of hope that the cupbearer would ever remember him.  

Living our life, God may be silent when your voice is loud.  Instead of being patient and waiting for God's timing, your mind may rush with anguish and therefore plea for help from someone who has a better chance of providing it.  But when you are in His plan, your own voice won't change the course God has set for you.  Rather, it could only slow down God's timing.  Set aside all of your expectations and hopes and wait quietly in faith for God.  He understands your heartaches and hardships and knows what you need.  He never forgets you and sets out to work on your life when your voice is silent.