Through Troubled Waters

While I've been awaiting the arrival of my temporary license, I've been busily working on preparations for my son's approaching high school graduation.

As part of that day's events, I've planned a DVD montage of his life replete with pictures, music, and fun. One of the songs I'm using will be from his State Choir CD - rather gratuitous, I realize, but the song is spectacular and fits the mood of the particular pictures in that segment.

The prep time has been quite the journey for me. I've laughed and cried, remembering the good times and bad, as I've perused a lifetime of pictures. But the reminiscing has been quite interesting.

See the tears aren't so much for the pain of the hard times but the joy of knowing that my son has truly made it THROUGH those times. He's not stuck in a mire of pain and bitter memories but has learned so many valuable lessons that only the difficulties of life can teach.

Then when I look at all he's accomplished thus far, in his short eighteen years, it makes this momentous occasion that much sweeter. It gives both him and me great hope for his future endeavors. It is a balm of peace that God is still in control through the tough times and that He still leads us through and beyond them to greater life on the other side.

My pastor once talked about the song of the "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" and how that was a misnomer. A bridge implies that God keeps us over or out of the troubles of this life, but that is by far incorrect. He is not our bridge over troubled waters but our submarine through them.

Jesus promised that in this world we would have trouble, but that He has overcome the world. Therefore we have hope through the difficulties of life.

It is a beautiful thing to see that my son has been through life's troubles thus far and has made it through with his faith intact. There are struggles that await him in the future - of that, I'm certain, but I also have hope that he has the foundation in place to make it through those as well.

But let's just get through graduation first.

On The Soapbox

I'm climbing onto my soapbox this morning. You've been warned.

Suffering cometh and suffering goeth. We are human, and all will experience suffering of some dimension in this short life. Job understood this better than most. Christ promised it before His ascension. Anyone who thinks otherwise is only deluding themselves.

Far too many Christians these days subscribe to the belief of Christ as more of a Santa Claus figure - ask and you shall receive - completely forgetting the extension of this in James - you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives. Then when a believer experiences suffering, either they are ostracized by their fellow Christians as if they possess the plague, or they are demonized 24-7 by "where's your faith?" and end up telling God to hang it on His proverbial beak.

People are leaving the church in droves because of this false lie, this concept that when you become a Christian God will be your bridge OVER troubled waters. That leaves the impression in people's minds that God will keep trouble away from them. Then when He doesn't, they either think something is wrong with themselves (ie. they need to believe harder) or that they'll never measure up to God's standards (ie. they need to try harder). This is so far from the truth, and it angers me when people espouse this empty rhetoric of man.

By denying suffering, Christianity itself is negated in the price Christ paid when He went to the cross. His suffering for our sakes was therefore utterly worthless if this misappropriated belief is to be accepted as truth. What about all those in the early church who went to the Coliseum and were torn apart for their faith? What about those who were hunted down, imprisoned, beaten, and murdered for their faith? What about all those who still face such persecution in our world TODAY??? Don't tell them, "Oh, it's all good!" for a second. They'd be only right to spit in your face for such arrogance.

Suffering hurts. Suffering is painful. Personally myself, I hate going through the troubled waters when its my turn. But I've also learned (key word) that God is still with me. I've learned to shut my ears to the fanatical delusionists of the world and keep trudging through. I don't like it, but I also know God will see me through. And then there's always something He leaves with me on the other side - deep compassion, concern, and the ability to commiserate with others as they walk through life's difficulties.

I'll never forget the new image my pastor once left with me concerning the proverbial bridge. God isn't the bridge OVER troubled waters but the submarine THROUGH troubled waters. Oh how true!

Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now.