Tag Archives: Bad Things

Chapter-a-Day

Best of ’24: #10 Intentions & Realities

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For two weeks, while Wendy and I are away enjoying some warm weather, I’ll be counting down the top ten chapter-a-day posts of 2024 (based on total views and plays). It’ s always interesting which posts resonated with readers and listeners. The chapter for tomorrow’s post will be listed at the bottom.

Intentions and Realities (CaD Rom 15) – Wayfarer

But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.
Romans 15:23-24 (NIV)

Wendy and I have had one heck of a week. In another “Chain Reaction of Praise” moment, our basement flooded for the second time in a matter of a few weeks. It was even worse this time. We have had to juggle our schedule to move furniture, haul rugs out into the sun to dry, pull up carpeting, and cut out the carpet pad that is trapping water and will otherwise become a major mold problem. Oh, and we had guests staying with us from out of state. They happened to be staying in the downstairs guest room. Fortunately, we have another guest room upstairs.

Life happens. Oh, the joy.

In today’s chapter, Paul is wrapping up his letter to the believers in Rome. He tells them of his intention of going to Spain to share Jesus’ message there and tells them that he will stop in Rome for a while on his way. He plans to do this right after he takes a gracious and generous financial gift from the believers in Greece back to the poor Jewish believers in Jerusalem.

What I found fascinating in reading about Paul’s intentions is that I know he will never make it to Spain. He will return to Rome but as a prisoner of the Empire. The whole story is in Acts 20-28. Paul is warned multiple times not to return to Jerusalem where he remained a wanted man by the same Jewish religious leaders who had Jesus crucified. Paul bull-headedly proceeds with the trip. Once in Jerusalem, he is recognized, sparks a riot, and is arrested. When he is tried by the local Roman Governor, Paul leverages his Roman citizenship to appeal his case to Caesar in Rome (which was the right of any Roman citizen). So, he will not realize his intention to go to Spain. He will spend a lot of time in Rome and eventually be executed there.

Life happens.

Earlier this week I wrote about how we can respond, not react when encountering a heated topic in current events. Ironically, the post stirred some strong reactions. Along life’s road, I’ve also learned that I also have the same opportunity to respond, not react, when “life happens.” I can have all sorts of well-laid plans and intentions that, in a moment, are dashed by the unexpected. I can allow it to overwhelm me, or I can respond in faith and hope that we’ll get through it and probably learn some things along the way. I like what Paul wrote in today’s chapter:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

In the quiet this morning, I spent a few moments thinking back to other times when “Life Happened” along the journey. This is certainly not the first time I’ve dealt with water problems in the basement. It happened in the house I grew up in, and it happened in our previous home here in Pella. We’ve had homes broken into and robbed. I’ve had my hotel room robbed. There have been tragic deaths of family members, trees falling, and my parents once had a car drive through the wall of their house!

You know what? I’ve learned that in the midst of all of it, I can experience both peace and joy. I can respond with trust in God who gives me hope that I’ve learned I can faithfully count on. We’ll do the work. We’ll fix the problem. Eventually, we’ll look back on this week in the same way I’m looking back at all the other times that Life happened.

Tomorrow’s Chapter: Luke 21

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Intentions & Realities

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Intentions and Realities (CaD Rom 15) – Wayfarer

But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.
Romans 15:23-24 (NIV)

Wendy and I have had one heck of a week. In another “Chain Reaction of Praise” moment, our basement flooded for the second time in a matter of a few weeks. It was even worse this time. We have had to juggle our schedule to move furniture, haul rugs out into the sun to dry, pull up carpeting, and cut out the carpet pad that is trapping water and will otherwise become a major mold problem. Oh, and we had guests staying with us from out of state. They happened to be staying in the downstairs guest room. Fortunately, we have another guest room upstairs.

Life happens. Oh, the joy.

In today’s chapter, Paul is wrapping up his letter to the believers in Rome. He tells them of his intention of going to Spain to share Jesus’ message there and tells them that he will stop in Rome for a while on his way. He plans to do this right after he takes a gracious and generous financial gift from the believers in Greece back to the poor Jewish believers in Jerusalem.

What I found fascinating in reading about Paul’s intentions is that I know he will never make it to Spain. He will return to Rome but as a prisoner of the Empire. The whole story is in Acts 20-28. Paul is warned multiple times not to return to Jerusalem where he remained a wanted man by the same Jewish religious leaders who had Jesus crucified. Paul bull-headedly proceeds with the trip. Once in Jerusalem, he is recognized, sparks a riot, and is arrested. When he is tried by the local Roman Governor, Paul leverages his Roman citizenship to appeal his case to Caesar in Rome (which was the right of any Roman citizen). So, he will not realize his intention to go to Spain. He will spend a lot of time in Rome and eventually be executed there.

Life happens.

Earlier this week I wrote about how we can respond, not react when encountering a heated topic in current events. Ironically, the post stirred some strong reactions. Along life’s road, I’ve also learned that I also have the same opportunity to respond, not react, when “life happens.” I can have all sorts of well-laid plans and intentions that, in a moment, are dashed by the unexpected. I can allow it to overwhelm me, or I can respond in faith and hope that we’ll get through it and probably learn some things along the way. I like what Paul wrote in today’s chapter:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

In the quiet this morning, I spent a few moments thinking back to other times when “Life Happened” along the journey. This is certainly not the first time I’ve dealt with water problems in the basement. It happened in the house I grew up in, and it happened in our previous home here in Pella. We’ve had homes broken into and robbed. I’ve had my hotel room robbed. There have been tragic deaths of family members, trees falling, and my parents once had a car drive through the wall of their house!

You know what? I’ve learned that in the midst of all of it, I can experience both peace and joy. I can respond with trust in God who gives me hope that I’ve learned I can faithfully count on. We’ll do the work. We’ll fix the problem. Eventually, we’ll look back on this week in the same way I’m looking back at all the other times that Life happened.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

God in the “Hevel”

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God in the "Hevel" (CaD Gen 45) – Wayfarer

[Joseph said] “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you…So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.”
Genesis 45:5, 8 (NIV)

Two weeks ago, among our local gathering of Jesus’ followers, I was tasked with giving the final message in a twelve-weeks series on the book of Ecclesiastes. One of the main themes of the ancient book of wisdom is that everything is “meaningless,” a word the author uses 33 times in the book. The Hebrew word the ancient Sage used was “hevel” (or “hebel“, it can be transliterated either way) for which there’s not really a good English equivalent. It’s like smoke or vapor that you can see with your eyes but can’t physically grasp or hold onto. It evades full comprehension or understanding.

In an earlier message in the series, I used my blog post on Ecclesiastes 9 as a springboard to try and help communicate what I think the Sage was trying to get at by describing life as smokey hevel:

One couple in our midst prayed for a baby and gets pregnant. Another couple prayed for a baby and remains childless. “What the hevel?”

We watch so many young people grow to adulthood while a family tragically loses a child at a young age. “What the hevel?”

One person in our community is miraculously cured while another suffers and dies when no miracle occurs. “What the Hevel?”

I provide you this flashback on Ecclesiastes because the story of Joseph could be Exhibit A in understanding hevel. I even used it as an illustration in my message. The fact that I was reading through the story at the same time I was tasked with the message felt like a divine appointment. Joseph, the favorite son did nothing more than share with his family a dream he had. He’s beaten, sold into slavery, wrongfully accused of rape, unjustly imprisoned, and unfairly forgotten. He had every reason to sit in prison groaning “What the hevel?! Why is this happening to me? Life isn’t fair. It’s all smoke and mirrors. Why me, God? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Why!?”

We find out in today’s chapter, which is the climax of the story. Joseph, having been raised to a leadership position in Egypt, and having miraculously been given prophetic foreknowledge of a seven-year famine, reveals himself to his brothers. The same brothers who sold him into slavery now come and bow down to him, begging him for food. Joseph reveals himself to them. It all comes together, and Joseph sees God’s hand in the hevelish circumstances that brought him to this moment. As Paul might have described it: All things worked together for good.

Just yesterday morning, over coffee, Wendy and I recounted some painful moments and relationships we’ve experienced over the years. With each one, we were able to look back and see how God used those moments and difficult stretches of the journey both in our lives and the lives of others involved.

I ended my message two weeks ago with an observation. Just a few chapters further into the story, in the book of Exodus, God will lead the Hebrews out of Egypt and through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Each day, for 40 years, God will lead them by appearing in the form of a cloud. What is a cloud? It’s water vapor. It’s like smoke. You might say it’s hevel.

God is in the hevel.

My friends even gave me a coffee mug to remember the lesson. 😉

FWIW: Here’s a link to the message I referenced in today’s post. You can find it and an archive of other messages on my Messages page.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Circumstances I Don’t Control

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Circumstances I Don't Control (CaD Gen 40) – Wayfarer

The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
Genesis 40:23 (NIV)

This Sunday, I am giving the final message in a series on the sage words of Ecclesiastes among our local gathering of Jesus’ followers. One of the themes of the ancient book of wisdom is that the notion we have any control in this life is an illusion. In fact, the Sage has a Hebrew word for it: hevel (or hebel). It gets translated into English as “vanity” or “meaningless” but its meaning is really more like “smoke” or “vapor.” I can see it. It looks like I should be able to touch it, grab it, or contain it but I can’t.

The continued story of Joseph in today’s chapter is a prime example of life and circumstance being out of our control. Life is not turning out to look anything like he expected. He thought things were comfortable at home being his father’s favorite. Then his brothers sold him into slavery and told their father Joseph was dead. Joseph then became a successful house manager for a powerful Egyptian official, only to be falsely accused of attempted rape and thrown into prison. In today’s chapter, Joseph successfully interprets the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer who is reinstated to his position. Joseph asks the man to “remember him” and it appears that circumstances are finally in Joseph’s favor.

Alas, no…the restored cupbearer completely forgets Joseph. He continues to languish in the Egyptian prison for a crime he didn’t commit. His circumstances are out of his own control.

As I look back on my own earthly journey, I have so many examples in my own life. A grandmother was run over and was killed by a distracted teen driver. Getting unexpectedly fired. The “perfect job” turned out to be a year of purgatory within a dysfunctionally chaotic system. My marriage fell apart. I was scandalized by wrongful accusations. Family members were diagnosed with cancer. Mom developed Alzheimer’s. And these are just the big items. There as countless small experiences that have affected my circumstances and my life; Circumstances that were unexpected, unforeseen, and completely out of my control.

Meditating on the reality of control being an illusion leads right to where the Sage ends up. It’s futile. It’s like trying to chase the wind or contain the morning fog. It’s all hevel.

But there’s another layer that I have to consider as a follower of Jesus, and this layer redeems the hevel. It’s a parallel reality that we are part of the Great Story, and the Author of Life is a sovereign storyteller.

Once again, Joseph is a prime example. Prior to his life being hijacked by circumstances out of his control, Joseph had a dream. That dream was a foreshadowing of the end of Joseph’s story. Joseph couldn’t see it in the moment. Every hevelish circumstance in Joseph’s experience is leading somewhere that’s known and has been foreshadowed. In the next chapters of the Great Story, God will lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and to the Promised Land. He chooses to appear to them each day as a cloud. What is a cloud? It’s water vapor. It’s hevel.

God is in the hevel. That’s good news within the out-of-control circumstances of my life.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself recalling hevelish moments along my life journey that seemed out of control. Looking back from my present waypoint on Life’s road, I can see how God used each one to grow me up, teach me, hone me, and lead me to another waypoint a little further up the road and further in my own story. God has always been in the hevel.

I have to believe that Joseph was frustrated, angry, and depressed that the cupbearer forgot him rotting away in his cell. I imagine he felt the futility of his circumstances. He might have even whispered, “It’s all hevel.” What he doesn’t recognize is that he is part of a larger story. The cupbearer will remember him at just the right moment. The rest of the story has yet to be told.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Difficult Paths; Explicable and Not

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The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, to observe all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 29:29 (NRSV)

My life journey has led me on some difficult paths…

Some paths were difficult, but I willfully chose them knowing full well where they would likely lead. As Bob Dylan put it, “like a bad motorcycle with the devil in the seat, going 90 miles an hour down a dead-end street.” Those difficulties and the natural, negative consequences which affected myself and others are on me.

Some paths were difficult because of the willful choices of others and their natural, negative consequences which directly affected me in hurtful ways. Those difficulties are on the individuals who made those choices.

Still other paths were made difficult because we live in a fallen world in which sickness, disease, and inexplicable tragedy may suddenly affect any one of us at any time. Those difficulties are on Adam, Eve, and all of us who tread this earth east of Eden.

Some paths are made difficult because we live within a Great Story of good and evil. Evil exists in the world carrying out its chaotic and self-centered motives to destructive ends. Whether through direct attack or ripple effect, those difficulties are on the evil one and all who follow.

Then there are difficult paths I tread and I cannot explain them. They don’t fit neatly in any of the previous sources I’ve identified. These are the most perplexing. These are the things which I place within the description found in today’s chapter. These are the secret things that belong to God. I don’t see God’s purposes or perceive His reasons, and I struggle perpetually to find a place of contentment or peace in the mystery of it.

This is why it is called a faith journey.

 

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