Weekly Devotion

It’s funny when you run into someone who you haven’t seen since you were a different person. It’s surreal. I vaguely remember partying with this friend almost 40 years ago while we were in college. We weren’t particularly close friends, but we hung out in the same social circles. I can’t even say with confidence what we had in common back then. Our conversations probably stayed on the superficial level, digging into who did the best guitar solo, which football team was better, or who held the wildest parties.

Easter is the pinnacle of the Christian faith. All of the days in the liturgical calendar, even Christmas, point to Christ’s resurrection. Without our redemption from Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, none of the other days can stand alone. Our faith would be hollow without it.

When things are going right in our lives, we tend to be self-sufficient and put God on the backburner. Success makes us feel like we’re not only in control of our status, but we’re also responsible for it. A close relative of my wife spent some time with me this morning talking about her faith, her struggles, and her victories as a child of God. “When I go through bad times, it brings out His importance.” As we examined her responses to her life challenges that God puts in front of her, she added, “In my life, I try to praise him at all times. I pray about letting go, but it keeps coming back.”

For trust in God to be true, it must also be complete. When we trust in God with all our heart, it means to put away our own understanding and to choose to trust the one who created it all. It means to trust God’s understanding. The phrase “lean not” in this passage referred to relying on something with limitations. Too often, we look to our self-sufficiency and self-dependence for answers.

All the experts in social rules and regulations say that you should never discuss religion and politics at work or in formal settings. I agree with the political side of that equation. But, I also believe there’s a right way to talk about our faith with people in settings other than our immediate circle of friends and family.

There are those rare people in life who make you feel safe. Safe in your personal space, safe in your home and community, safe in your beliefs. People like this are confident, well grounded, and are almost always powered by very profound faith. Quite often, people with these characteristics are also quiet leaders. Like shepherds.

Have you ever had one of those days when you have to throw up your arms and just accept what is happening? No matter your plans, on this day, things just won’t be working out. Today was exactly that kind of day. There was no interview lined up for this week’s devotional, so I prayed to God asking what wisdom he would impart on me? I asked him what he thought I should write about and what we should learn? As I walked out of my office to grab a different Bible, James 1:7 flashed in my mind.

When talking with a friend about her impact on this world I heard God’s rich wisdom in nearly every aspect of her life. She’s emphatically humble. How’s that for an oxymoron? She’s also devoutly Christian. Growing up in a Catholic household, she was exposed to God at a very early age and embraced him from the beginning. “I always felt His presence,” she admitted. “My first Communion in second grade was an overwhelming experience for me. I felt so blessed and valued,” she continued. She said that it was something you did and that maybe she didn’t understand the full significance of it at the time.

I read a passage from 2 Corinthians 4 this morning that reminded me of a close friend who has just finished a horrific multi-year struggle. The connection was so strong and visible to me that I asked her if it would be OK to share her story.

In the movie, A Few Good Men, there is a climactic scene between Jack Nicholson, a rough salty colonel and Tom Cruise, a rookie military lawyer. Nicholson’s character, (Colonel Jessep) is being questioned for covering up a conspiracy which included the abuse of a younger soldier. Tom Cruise (Lt. Kaffee) pressed Jessep for the truth. Jessep responded with, “You can’t handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls…” A much more drastic example of this attitude will play out in Acts between Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council.