Tonight I had the honor to lead worship for over 200 junior high students and a little over 70 high schoolers. The youth group where I volunteer has two services: 6.8 which is for 6th through 8th grade students, and 9.12 which is for 9th through 12th grade students. As humbling of an experience as I'd like to say it is, I honestly don't remember being up on the stage with the other leaders tonight. I was so completely captivated by the Holy Spirit as we worshiped, that I was unaware of anything that was around me! It was one of the most wonderful, powerful, relaxing feelings I have ever felt.
For the past two weeks, the theme for the messages has been "God at the Movies". Last week Pastor Terry related the message to the movie Despicable Me. This week was focused on the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, [9] persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." There is a scene in The Lord of The Rings where Frodo feels like he "can't do it anymore" when things have gotten so bad that he is willing to just give up. Sam looks at him and starts talking about how, when Frodo was young, he would hear stories and sometimes not want to hear the endings because he would wonder "how could anything good happen after something this bad has already begun?" But that's when Sam told him that there has to be something good after something terrible. The light always comes after the dark. When I heard this in the message today, it hit me right at home. You see, there is always going to be "bad" things… And there is always going to be "good" things, and in order for there to be light, there has to be dark.
1 John 4:4 "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." So many times, these bad things happen and we cower away from what we think will happen next. Truth is, we never know what will happen. We don't know what the future holds. We have NO IDEA what lies on the other side.
A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side." Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."
"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?." the man replied. The doctor was holding the handle of the door, on the other side came the sound of scratching and whining. As he opened the door, a dog spring into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what lies on the other side of death, but I do know one thing… I know my Master is there and that is enough."
Frodo didn't know what was going to come, so he wanted to cower away from whatever it was. He hadn't given it a second thought. He was ready to give up. It's a good thing that Sam was there to knock him straight. I encourage you to find your "Sam", or be a "Sam" for someone else. You never know, maybe what lies on the other side is good. Maybe it's great.
