Hi all, it’s been a few weeks!
Before I get rolling, I want to express first and foremost my DEEPEST gratitude for each and every prayer that has been sent up on my behalf so far on this journey; they have sustained me through good times and not so good times in recent weeks. I’ve been blessed with opportunities to talk with many people about The Race and what drew me to it, even talking to a couple local pastors about it and having the awesome opportunity to present The Race to another local congregation!
But don’t think that your Great and Generous donations have gone unnoticed either! I can’t even begin to express my thanks towards the outpouring of your generosity in this endeavor so far. Like REALLY, you all have been SO AWESOME! I couldn’t begin to thank you all enough (but don’t think I’m not going to try! 🙂 ). I know many of you have read my first blog and know from it my failings which for a long time I found hard to be open about. In a world, media, and culture these days that tends to fixate on the negative side of people and never looks past it, it is so very encouraging to me that many of you have come to support me in this, exhibiting Christ’s love and grace through it all.
It is on that coattails of that message that I want to share with you today a recent blessing concerning one particular donation I received and the powerful message it bears, both to myself and, hopefully, to all who read this. (For the purposes of discretion, the details will be minimal but the import in no way inhibited.)
Here it goes…
In recent years I have made a very dear friend in my faith who has introduced me to two relatives of his that I soon became fast friends with as well. We have enjoyed pleasant afternoons of sharing wild stories back and forth with each other, caught up on the latest happenings in each other’s lives, and, most importantly, have shared a very special bond in our mutual faith in God. That bond has steadily helped and guided me through the unpleasant life/faith circumstances I experienced in recent years (as denoted in my first blog) and is very meaningful to me. They themselves spent many years very actively involved in the church, serving in various capacities and going to all manner of different places during their ministry. Though now retired, they have accomplished much towards the kingdom in their years on this earth, making the most of every opportunity, investing in the lives of others.
It was during a recent visit to them that once again God exhibited to me the power He will wield if only we have a willing heart to serve. They had invited me over (having just received my support letter in the mail) and said that they wanted to support me and, with prayer, had discerned what to give in support. Now just from the way I’m talking, most of you have probably deduced it was a large sum, and being honest with you, it was more than I would have ever dreamed to receive at once from anyone. I was completely and utterly caught off-guard by it. Now, you might also be thinking that I’m writing this in regards to the donation made; about the blessings of a giving heart, or how God provides… but I’m not. Those are great points of discussion on the matters of our faith, but there was one more thing that they shared with me; something that hit me more profoundly than the donation ever could.
You see, upon receiving I wanted to make sure that they were absolutely positive that they wanted to give this amount, and I asked. When I did, the wife simply smiled and said to me something that went much like this:
-“Yes, yes, we’re quite sure. We talked about it and prayed about it, though it didn’t take too long. We’ve both carried the torch through this world for much of our lives. Now the time has come for us to… put it down, and let someone else pick it up. This is us, helping you along in the journey you and that torch have before you.”
…That right there has caused weeks of mulling over what to say. I’m still not sure I found the right words to describe the feeling it gave me. I mean… the words are absolutely pregnant with significance. That is fellowship right there. That is love. It is faith. It is grace. It is hope. It is edification. It is affirmation. It is everything we are called to be to and for one another. And THAT’S what we can be for one another- what we SHOULD be. As I said before, many of you know my struggles and insecurities I spoke of in my first blog. I spent a lot of time mired in those issues; those failures, and these friends of mine knew about them. Yet in spite of that knowledge they gave and showed their support and belief in me. What’s more, they as veterans of the good fight, they gave me, for lack of a better way to put it, their spiritual endorsement. And it has been such a swelling and driving force in my heart and mind since she said it.
And all the while, this caused me to realize something else; an even bigger picture was painted here. You see, we as Christians have, by and large, done each other a great disservice (warning: may get a little preachy here). I mean, how often do we get caught up in the everyday happenings in our lives, struggling to make it through the week, get to Sunday and go to church, and then start the “grind” all over again Monday? Many people would say that that’s a rough but relate-able description of their week. And speaking from personal experience, I GET that. We get so involved in the workload we bring home, the extracurricular activities; or, for others, we feel like failures because of something in our past we can’t forget or let go of, or because of various personal struggles we’re going through currently. By the end of the week if life hasn’t beaten us up we beat ourselves up. The weekend comes and offers a little relief and then right back into the fray. We’re worn out emotionally- and spiritually, and we have nothing left to give. Looking at myself, I know that, while on the surface all seemed well, in the past several years I was emotionally and spiritually eroding under the surface.
But then interject the above words of my friend.
These are words that suddenly infuse a sense of hope and encouragement. Words that inspire the beleaguered soul. Words that reflect the light of Christ. All it took was a few genuine, authentic words of (re)affirmation, and it rejuvenated my soul! I believe that we as a community of Christ followers have forgotten one of the fundamental components of the church: COMMUNICATION! Think about it. Yes, we meet at church on Sunday, we share in brief conversation and take in the sermon for the week; and that’s certainly all well and good. But the key to a healthy faith is similar to the key to a healthy physical body.
Think of it this way: If you only exercise for an hour out of the week, will your body really be any healthier for it? (*crickets*) …… yeah, probably not. It takes consistent committal to a healthy daily routine to make a difference. And just to add to that assertion, studies show you’ll be far more successful IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE ELSE to keep you accountable! So now I posit to you, how healthy will your spiritual life be without habitual maintenance of that faith, and more importantly, how successful will you be if you try to do it on your own? Just to throw some numbers down, a person who has a partner check-in on their physical exercise progress just ONCE every TWO WEEKS increases that person’s amount of exercising/success rate by 78%. (1) Now what do you think your faith could look like if you spent some time outside of Sunday morning each week exercising and building your faith? More so, what would it look like IF you had someone to support you?
Listen, you can be someone who is very newly a follower of Christ or someone who’s been a spiritual pillar in the church for many years, but either way it only takes a few missteps; a few missed Bible studies or missed times at prayer. It only takes a few instances such as those mentioned for someone who is strong in their faith to atrophy, or someone who is growing in their faith to wither. How many times do we see in the Bible people rely on their mutual support and relationships to make it through hardships? David and Jonathan, Job and his friends, Moses and Aaron/Joshua, Paul and the various churches/leaders, the list goes on and on. We’re even told multiple times directly to not forsake gathering with one another (Hebrews 10:25). The consequences of not doing so can be devastating.
When I heard her words to me, they really hit me, and hit me right where I needed it. Not only did she give me the affirmation of my call to ministry, but she gave my spirit the spiritual “boost” it needed. And we all need that boost from each other; that support. But we can’t share it very well with each other behind our cell phone screen or from our couch. It requires real, genuine conversation and encouragement.
Now to be sure, I am and will always be truly grateful for their donation; it has gone a long way to reaching my goal for The Race and thus helping the next chapter of my life take shape, but their words held greater meaning still; meaning that I will take with me into this next chapter of my life and far after. I will do my best to pick up and carry that torch with me the rest of my life as God continues to reveal the ministry He has in store for me. But even more so I will remember what a few kind and heartfelt words shared in communion with a fellow brother and sister in Christ did for me. That was the first thing the light of that torch they handed off to me revealed: the power that rests in each of us if we just come forward with a willing and earnest heart to serve one another. I hope to share the light of that torch with everyone I come into contact with through life, and I hope at the very least a spark can be shared from it to ignite the torches of others. But I have to ask you now: If YOU want to come into the light, the love, the hope, the grace of Christ… If I or someone else shares with you the sparks of the torch… will YOU pick up your own torch and bear it through life, too?
In closing I want to bring you back, just for a moment, to one of my favorite times of the year: Christmas Eve. Picture being in the sanctuary on that most holy night of the year. Look around you as you picture it. What aspect of Christmas Eve service comes most readily to your mind? Maybe the special music. Perhaps the the decorations or the tree for some. But you know what comes first to mind for me? The lighting of the candles and the singing of ‘Silent Night’. How that dark room BEAMS with such warm and beautiful light; light that, one by one, we share with one another, until ever candle is lit. Now imagine… imagine if we didn’t share that light with the person next to us… Utter darkness. Do you see the bigger picture now?
…Pick up the torch… and SHARE that light until all the darkness around you is cast out by the light of Christ in yourself and others! Let that light SHINE so there’s NO mistaking who’s light it is!
Sources (My apologies to all my English teachers that attempted to teach me the various sourcing formats and failed):
(1) http://blog.codyapp.com/2013/07/30/workout-partner-motivation-exercises/
