Well, we're back home again. Like people say, we're glad to get away, glad to get home. We spent the time on PEI at my mother's cottage and visiting family. Lots of interesting experiences - like the thunderstorm that rolled for more than 2 hours one night, or the morning the crows woke us up at 5:30am and so we decided to drive to see the other end of the Island, or the dinner theatre we went to, or the many canoe trips we took, or going to my grandmother's for evening snacks.
I feel a little like Britney Spears singing, "Oops I did it again." Sorry for the mistake with the mailing. I think I've figured out how to avoid these in the future. Thanks for your understanding.
This week we're continuing to look at what faith means in day to day life. Before I went on vacation, we looked at the first lesson, that faith means I can't go with God and stay where I am. This week we look at "Faith Means Better Days Ahead."
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Let me tell you a little bit about my journey to this conclusion. I didn't always see it this way. In fact, if the truth were to be told, there was a time when I thought life really stank and that it really wasn't going to get any better. I had visions that all life would bring was struggle. Pretty bleak, huh?
Jan and I were still on our honeymoon when some health issues became evident. These continued for some time so that I became really angry with God. I didn't see life as very fair or just. There was a lot to celebrate, but it was difficult and I began to wonder if this was what I could expect for the rest of my life.
Add to this Jan's postpartum depressions. Just when life seemed to be getting better, we were hit with that. Now we can look back on it with perspective, but at the time it was a miserable experience, most of all for Jan. But even still, I began to wonder if that was all life had to offer.
Becoming a pastor was a little disillusioning. No matter the hours I put in, it was never enough. I never seemed to know enough, or do enough, and it was impossible to please everyone.
In addition, some of my colleagues are deeply cynical. I remember an exchange between two veterans which I overheard at one of my first denomination conventions. As the new ordination candidates were presented, this is what I heard.
A) "They're getting younger every year."
B) "Green as grass and don't know a thing."
A) "They think they're going to go into a church and change things."
B) "Have they got a lot to learn!"
A) "Oh well, a few years in the saddle and they won't be so idealistic."
B) "Yup, they'll learn."
The hidden subtext was that the new young ministers would become like these two - older, wiser, with lower, more realistic expectations. "Sure, God can change people, but don't expect to see it very often. Take it from us, we know." It didn't take long for me to see that some of my colleagues were tired, disillusioned, and cynical. "People don't really change." "Expect conflict." "Church meetings could never be amicable."
Through my experiences, I developed a perspective on life. This was a good as it was going to get. Maybe it would even be worse. If life was good, then it was only a matter of time before it would turn again, just wait. I developed a motto - "If you think its bad now, just wait - it'll get worse."
What changed me?
First, Jan's health improved and we began to enjoy life more. I learned that our circumstances can change. Just because life is hard now doesn't mean it will always be.
Second, we went through a tough time in a church where I was pastor (sense the irony here?). Though it was agonizing and I didn't sleep a full night for three months, I developed a sense that God was with us. Any intellectual knowledge of this became real in my gut. I came to see that God would take care of us, that he would meet our needs, and that there were better days ahead for us.
I'm surprised as I look back on that experience because it was not my pattern. I had been slowly and subtly becoming like the older, "wiser" pastors because of my past in the church and personally. As I went through that time of trial I realized God's strength - I certainly didn't have enough of my own - and that gave me a new hope.
I now believe that one of the markers of faith is the belief that at there are better days ahead. This is not naive optimism, nor does it mean that we will never encounter difficulties. In Psalm 13 we see David's cry, "How long.....?" (v.1) David isn't blind to his real difficulties. And yet he trusts in God for better days. "Give light to my eyes ... I trust in your unfailing love." (vv.3,5)
Joshua's generation wandered in the desert for 40 years. They whined and complained. Even Joshua must have wondered when they would enter the promised land. Finally, God said "Get ready!" (Josh 1:1-3)
There are times when we all feel like we've been wandering in the wilderness. After a while, we even wonder if that's all there is. It is tempting to believe that nothing changes, and nothing ever will.
Having faith in Jesus, however, means that we can't settle for this. We hope, trust, and believe that there are better days ahead. Though goals and dreams seem so far away, we anticipate the words we long to hear, "Get ready."
In Luke 2:25 we read that Simeon was "waiting for the consolation of Israel." This sounds bland in English, but the Greek word for waiting implies certainty and anticipation. Simeon waited, but it is not an impatient or sceptical waiting. Simeon expected the Messiah to come and bring comfort to God's people. Simeon anticipated better days ahead because of Jesus Christ.
The bottom line is that faith in Christ means better days ahead. Life may not look that way. But the eyes of faith see hope in God's goodness and love, not in what life throws our way.
Copyright 2006