No Immunity

They were “high-fliers”, “on the fast track.” By all appearances they were very successful. Nice cars, big homes, and country club memberships were all a part of their lives. By all appearances they had healthy marriages, great kids, and a solid family foundation. They were all Christians, dedicated to Jesus and active in their churches. The husbands and wives often spent time together socially and in other contexts.

This is not to say that everything was perfect. None of them would have said that. The husbands all worked very hard, putting in long hours in their various businesses. They had to deal with the some of the same challenges that other families had to deal with--aging parents, serious illnesses, challenges with their children, and living with the pressure of maintaining the lifestyles to which they had grown accustomed.

For the most part, they were living lives that many would admire and covet. However nothing, absolutely nothing, can make you bullet proof.

When the economy began its downward descent in 2008 and didn’t recover immediately, they all took a hit: a big hit. Two of them lost their businesses. One is still hanging on by his fingernails. One of them had to declare bankruptcy. Their lives were, and still are, under unbelievable pressure. Two of them had marriages disintegrate. Sometimes even solid foundations can crumble under pressure.

There are a lot of lessons here, not the least of which is that “our times are in your hands.” None of us can control everything. Being a “victim of circumstances” is never the whole truth. By their own admission they each had made some mistakes. Perhaps the biggest was that they believed they were on a constant, unwavering upward ascent; that there would never be a dip, let alone a plunge, in their economic well being. They had gotten their head out over their skis too far and were tumbling.

Another lesson that deserves a constant reminder is that being a faithful follower of Jesus doesn’t make us immune from difficulty. Prosperity, well being, success, and good health are not guaranteed to us because we are one with Jesus.

Certainly that isn’t the case in the Bible. God’s people suffer. And, not unlike us, they suffer because of circumstances, situations, and others, as well as their own missteps.

As I look back on my own life, I made many of the same mistakes my friends had made, but dodged a bullet on paying such a high price. Too often my family came in second to my profession. I was not always aware that part of my drive to succeed was fueled by ego needs disguised as ministry. I have had moments when I have questioned difficulty in my life when I have pledged to serve God professionally, as if my service was to make me immune from life itself. The whole time God has been patient with me. God has confronted me with my shortcomings and has walked alongside of me when I have been paying the price for my own failings.

My friends continue on. Because they are talented and hard working, they are all in various degrees of recovery. They have learned lessons, changed habits, and refocused their lives and try to pass that on to others. They have a deeper appreciation for God’s grace, mercy and love than ever before.   

Embarrassing

This is the season when I am mildly embarrassed by my college major.

Well, actually my college major was a little complicated. I wanted to be a teacher which back in ancient history meant you had to have a major and a minor as well as all of your education classes and student teaching. My parents made it clear that this was a four year deal, so there was some cramming involved, along with some summer school credits that helped things along.

         

My major was kinesiology (physical education) and my minor was political science. However, I had more than enough credits in political science for a major, so technically I was a double major.

         

I love political science: the history, the development, the nuances. I took a class on the politics of third world nations and another on the politics of Latin America. My first teaching job assigned me to teach five sessions of U.S. Government to High School Seniors every day! I loved it.

         

Chicago is a great place to live if you like politics. The recent teacher’s strike was a lot more about politics and power than it was about education. (O.K., so that’s my opinion.)

         

It doesn’t hurt to know about political systems when you work in churches!

         

But this is the season of the year when being a political science major can be embarrassing. Presidential politicking has become mostly “trashing” the other candidate and their personal and political histories. An embarrassing video of a Romney speech is made public. An embarrassing video of Obama needs to be found and distributed. A sound bite of one candidate can be made to look controversial and the other candidate’s camp needs to find one with which to counter-punch.

         

We have to look past the newspaper headlines and the television coverage to find out what each candidate wants to accomplish. In fact, you really have to dig to find out what one party or the other would actually do because so much is focused on how bad the other is.

         

Facebook doesn’t help. One posting after another “trashes” either candidate. It makes me cringe a little when devout Christians engage in this. The bible gives these instructions:

         

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” (Romans 13:1,7)

         

Much of what is written and said is disrespectful and doesn’t honor anyone. We need to find ways that we can differentiate our political beliefs without demonizing those who hold different beliefs. What qualifies as respectful disagreement?

         

I do know this from history.

         

No party, or candidate, has been perfect.

         

Both political parties have contributed to the betterment of our nation throughout history.

         

Neither party can claim to be more “christian” than the other. There are thoughtful, evangelical believers who are members of both parties.

         

Jesus was “apolitical”. He was only concerned about one Kingdom, the Kingdom of God, which was spiritual and not material.

         

Personal attacks, in the long run, are counter-productive. When we keep focusing on how bad another person is, rather than on what they will contribute that will result in positive change, it often has the opposite impact we hope for.

         

Ultimately, Christians are not even citizens of this world. We are aliens, here only for a short visit to share God’s love, grace and mercy before we go to our true Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.

         

That’s not embarrassing.

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The Rest of the Story

My first reaction was to identify her as a spoiled rich kid who had gone sideways and was so desperate for a high she resorted to “huffing” (inhaling ingredients of an aerosol). It ended tragically. She lost control of her car (a Lexus sport coupe) and ran into a family who was walking down the sidewalk injuring several of them and killing a five year old girl.

 

Senseless. Tragic. Horrible.

The late Paul Harvey was famous for his story telling. One of his techniques was to tell a story and then move on to something else, or a commercial break and then come back with his signature line: “And now, the rest of the story”.

As the days progressed “the rest of the story” came out piece by piece. Three years ago the teenage driver had been attacked by a dog and her face had been torn apart. She has suffered from nightmares and trauma ever since. She has been under psychological care. Kids in her high school teased her because of the scars on her face. She changed schools to avoid their cruelty. She had turned to drugs and alcohol to ease her pain and then later had been part of a 12 step rehabilitation program. She still suffered greatly and apparently the huffing was another way of coping.

The “rest of the story” made me more sympathetic. I could only imagine how painful and difficult this must be for her. I felt badly for her parents who, no doubt, were scrambling to figure out how to help their daughter, had done all they knew how, and were feeling at a loss of what to do next.

The “rest of the story” didn’t excuse her from what she had done. Her means of coping with her own pain had tragically impacted another family. An innocent life had been lost. A domino that was tipped over three years earlier was still tipping over others in even more tragic ways. My heart broke for everyone.

Jesus said, “Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2)

The book of Proverbs says:

“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.” (Proverbs 1:5)

Every person we meet has a back story. Everything we do or say is a product of our past. Some of it good, and some of it bad. I have learned that behind every smiling face and seemingly perfect person, marriage or family, there is probably some pain and difficulty because none of us is perfect. I have discovered that many people that I have admired had flaws that I didn’t know existed when I heard “the rest of the story.” Troubled teens or young adults have a story: dysfunction at home, some tragic event, perhaps a well hidden disability, or some kind of pain they are trying to mask.

I know that is true of me.

Jesus took the time to listen to people’s stories. He didn’t necessarily let their stories excuse their moral or ethical failures, but He did understand the road they traveled to get there. He was empathetic, which is how He communicated His love and acceptance of the person without finding everything they did acceptable.

I am praying I will remember to do the same. 

I am also praying for the family of the five year old girl who was killed and for the driver and her family, who now have one more tragedy in their lives heaped on others.

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On the Bike Path

Several mornings a week I leave our house early on my bike for a one hour ride. It is a great way for me to get the blood flowing, the mind working and to get exercise out of the way before hundreds of things get in the way of me doing it in the afternoon. It helps that I am a morning person!

I come across a lot of things on my various routes: squirrels love to dart across in front of my bike; walkers or joggers who cannot hear you when you want to pass them because their ear buds are preventing anything other than their music from entering their mind; cars that pass you and then turn right in front of you. But mostly I come across people.

Last week I was half way through my ride. The most challenging hill was behind me, but there would be a few more in the offing. I turned onto the bike bath and another rider was in front of me. The rider had a BMX style bike and was wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, black jeans, high top Converse All Stars, and had a full backpack on. It registered with me that school had started and this route was near a Junior High. I had come across a Junior High School student in full Junior High uniform on the way to school.

They rode their bike down the middle of the path oblivious to the fact that someone may come up behind them. I was going to ask to pass when I noticed a white cord snaking out of the pocket of their hoody toward their ears. They pulled out their device with the white cord attached and adjusted the volume. I patiently rode behind them (which for me took immense effort), knowing that I would only be on this section of the path for a short time before I would turn in another direction.

After following them for a short time my nose registered a scent. It took a minute for me to realize it was cigarette smoke. My Junior High friend was smoking a cigarette while riding his bike to school.

My active mind started going a hundred miles an hour.

Isn’t there something ironic about smoking a cigarette while riding a bike?

Seriously, smoking in Junior High? Not that it’s unheard of, but it makes me wonder about their future.

It was 80 degrees outside and they were riding their bike with long black jeans and a hoody. It is an unofficial “uniform,” making a statement, fitting in with their crowd at school.

         

Do they play sports? Are they a good student? What is life like at their home?

          What life path are they on? Where will it lead them?

         

I wonder if they know Jesus, or have any kind of religious affiliation.

         

You may have noticed that I have used non gender specific pronouns to describe my bike path companion. I realized that my knee jerk instinct was to think it was a guy, but it was hard to tell from my vantage point. It could have been a girl.  

         

All of the above ran through my mind in a matter of a minute as I continued to ride.     

I soon turned off the path to finish my route. They continued on their way to school.

         

Periodically, the image of my bike path companion will flash into my mind. I wonder what has happened. I throw a quick prayer up to my boss that they would be safe, prosper, and discover their purpose in life.

         

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2)

         

Oh, and I hope the smoking thing was just a phase!