LIFE IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT

 

How much do you trust God? I really mean this, how much do you trust God? Do you believe that he cares for you? Do you believe that no matter what happens in your life that he is right there beside you? Do you believe that if you live faithfully he will someday take you home to heaven? As Christians we must believe these things, because that is the hope we have in life; that is what our faith is about!

 

Philip Yancey, in his book REACHING FOR THE INVISIBLE GOD, tells of his father‑in‑law, a Bible teacher and committed Christian. The older man’s faith troubled him in his final years. A degenerative nerve disease confined him to bed, preventing him from sharing in most of the activities he enjoyed. In addition to his own illness, his daughter battled a debilitating form of diabetes.

 

During the most severe crisis, he composed a Christmas letter and mailed it to family members and friends. He expressed his uneasy feelings about many things he had once taught. What could he believe with certainty? The old Bible teacher staked his faith on three realities. Here is his list: “(1) Life is difficult, (2) God is merciful, (3) Heaven is sure.”

 

Is life difficult? Yes! It is rarely any other way, but God's word assures us that we have a loving God who is merciful to his children and that the promise of heaven is sure. We believe it, because he said.

 

Jesus encouraged his disciples with these words found in John 14:1-3: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

 

Has that promise ever changed? No, God's promise to us remains the same no matter what difficulties come into our lives. The writer of Hebrews encourages us with these words. "Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (Hebrews 6:17-19).

 

What is the anchor for your soul during difficult times, what is your hope? It must be the "unchangeable" promises of God, because those are the only ones that really last!

What do you do with Father's Day?

Father's Day is traditionally a day on which we recognize the efforts of our fathers to provide for and care for their families. Many make this a special day with a special breakfast, phone calls to those who are separated by miles or visits if you are near. Perhaps taking them out to eat and even gifts to recognize them. That's great and I am thrilled that so many are able to do that, it is as it should be. Deuteronomy 5:16  told the Israelites (and the example travels on to us) "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

 

There are inherent in this day some problems, the first of which is that there are those of us whose fathers have passed from this life and we can no longer let them know how much they were appreciated. That brings with it another set of problems, as we sometimes get buried under a load of guilt called, "I wish I had". "I wish I had been a better son/daughter". "I wish I had told them…" We can honor them by simply remembering them and living a life that would show honor in our own lives.

 

Then there are some whose fathers are abusive, non-caring, unloving or have even deserted their families. It's hard to show love to someone like that. How do you love the unlovable?

 

And then there are some who never knew their father at all, perhaps they died or departed or refused to accept the responsibility for them before they were ever born. That brings about a position of choosing in our lives. Choosing whether to love them (or at least not hate them). The Greek word used most in the scripture for love is "agape" which literally means to desire the best for someone. It doesn't have the meaning of embracing or even desiring to be with someone, but to truly hope that all things work out to their good, which of course would be for them to have their life right with God, no matter what their situation.

 

So, sometimes even our fathers are unlovable, they are not perfect, in fact sometimes they mess up big time and then what are we to do? Maybe we should ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do?" You see, God loves the unlovable; ("But God has made clear his love to us, in that, when we were still sinners, Christ gave his life for us." Romans 5:8  BBE) Would you think then that he would expect you and I to do anything less, not just on Father's Day, but all days.

 

Whatever your situation, I pray that you will honor your father while you have him with you. If you can't do that, then love them with a love that hopes for the best for them in their relationship to God.