More Than a Word of Encouragement

If you are of a certain generation, you might instantly recognize, "ROY G. BIV," as the colors of the visible light spectrum. Or "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally," as the order of mathematical operations. These are mnemonic devices, but they only remain helpful if information and language do not change. For instance, what exactly are we doing about "My Very Expensive Machine Just Sucked Up Nine...??" these days? In the absence of Pluto as "planet", how has this learning tool been impacted? In today's world, language and information seem to go through more updates than a three-year-old cell phone. (Everyone knows they're just frying your battery.) I keep a 1936 dictionary on hand, and from time to time, I come across words in today's conversations that have either changed in definition or did not even exist less than one hundred years ago. 

One of my favorite (or least favorite, depending) examples is the word empathy, a word that was not in existence in 1936. According to today's dictionary, empathy refers to "the ability to identify with or understand another's situation or feelings". In other words, "I can relate." Sympathy, on the other hand, today means "feeling pity or sorrow for the distress of another". Sort of a "that's a shame" response. Today's society poo-poos sympathy as being superficial; the greater emotion is empathy says the zeitgeist. But if you look at each part of each word, the prefixes and the root (pathos, meaning "feeling"), you might see things differently. The prefix sym- means "to join with", like the symphony that creates one cohesive sound or the symbiotic relationship, both parties giving and receiving equally. On the other hand, the prefix em- means "to cause to be" or "to put into", such as to embolden, or instill boldness in someone. Sympathy joins with the sufferer, taking their pain on oneself; while empathy merely generates some feeling, bringing it into the situation. 1 Peter 3:8 (NIV) Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. It is sympathy that requires love and action.

So, why the language lesson? Encouragement. Again, the prefix en- means to put into; to encourage someone means to put courage into them. Discourage (dis- "lack of") of course, is the opposite; to withdraw courage from someone, to leave someone feeling without boldness. Neither of these words have changed much over the years, but our common use can cause us to accept a watered-down view of their meaning. Think of the mom on the sidelines, wildly cheering her child on in their first track meet. Encouragement, right? It's obvious! But from where are we to receive the boldness necessary to simply continue in a world that opposes godly values? Who will build us up when our efforts to be salt and light have been met with torrents of rain? The Bible is one of the best sources of encouragement, of course, but believers are a body, the body of Christ, made up of many different parts, working together and supporting one another for the glory of God. We are to encourage one another as well. Encourage! Join with one another in joy and pain (sympathy). Bear one another's burdens in prayer and activity when possible. Speak life into our brothers and sisters. It is far too easy in this world to tear one another down; but we are not of this world. Be kind and forgive much. Don't stop! (1 Thessalonians 5:11) If we are all encouraging one another all the time, every one of us should be filled with the courage to continue filling one another with courage! Our confidence and courage are because we serve the One True God by the power of His Holy Spirit because of the finished work of His Son. Nothing is impossible with Him. But we're human. We live in a physical world that can discourage us. We sometimes need to experience live, radical, no-holds-barred encouragement from flesh and blood like us. God has met that need in our brothers and sisters in Christ. And He has met their needs in each of us.    

Midweek: Anxiety and the Test of Time

Have you ever taken a timed test? Perhaps you've played the game Perfection. You hear the clock ticking away, or you're imagining just how long you've been at it and how little time you have remaining. The closer it gets --or the closer you believe it is getting --to time running out, the faster your heart races, the more you begin to sweat and shake. Anxiety! But what if what we're measuring, speed, is not the thing that needs to be measured? What if those timed tests are more about you working diligently, thinking logically, staying focused? What if that silly little ticking game is more about manual dexterity and spatial acumen? What if it's not about beating the clock at all? Is it possible the anxiety we feel is because we are wrong about the purpose for the test?

James 1:2-8 says, 

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The testing of your faith, "falling into" various trials, produces patience. Sure, there's a test; but it's not for the purposes of "pass-fail" or shaming us. It's a test --or many tests --to teach us patience. The testing of our ability to forgive when we are in the infancy of our walk with Christ should look much different from the testing of our ability to forgive years into our relationship with Jesus. And though the clock is ticking, we are not racing against it. There's no need to be anxious. If we are surrendered to God's means, the Holy Spirit does the work. Time merely reminds us just how far the Holy Spirit has brought us. All glory to God, once I was bitter and unforgiving, but look what He has done!

God, through James, continues: Let patience have her perfect work. Unto completion. Don't fight it. Don't panic. Don't worry. Don't fear. Trials are not wasted when we trust God is doing something through them; but we give anxiety free reign when we see our circumstances as purely random and out of control. Rather than keep our eyes on Jesus, we race toward a Finish Line we cannot see, plotting, planning, trying to figure it all out, anything to make it stop --now! The time will come for it to stop; but until then, sit with Him as He works. Let patience develop. Take a deep breath and hold on to the One who holds you.

And don't hesitate to ask. James says we are to ask for wisdom in these trials; those who ask in faith, without doubting God's answer, without seeking wisdom elsewhere "just in case" God doesn't respond quickly enough or to our liking, will receive. Mark 9, records the moment a man brought his sick child to Jesus' disciples. They were unable to help and, it seems, left the man a bit skeptical of Jesus and His ministry. Jesus, however, intervenes and says, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." The man responds with, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" A simple prayer: I don't believe as I want; help me! Or, this one, Help me take my eyes off of my circumstances and off of the clock, as I wait on You! 

Time is not the enemy, nor are the trials that come over time. In fact, those trials teach us better time management: laying more of our anxieties at the cross, and living for His glory as we wait on Him.

Challenged To Prayer

Where did you learn to pray? Did your parents teach you something like, Now I lay me down to sleep...? Maybe you still haven't learned to pray. Maybe you have no idea what or who to pray for. Maybe you're just not sure you have that kind of time. Well, have you got time to think? to speak? to breathe? If you can walk and chew gum at the same time, you have time to pray. Scripture says we should pray without ceasing, at all times, about everything. If it keeps you awake at night, if it makes you grip the steering wheel just a little more tightly, if it causes your stomach to flip-flop, if it makes your heart sing, talk to the God of the universe about it! Yes! He wants to hear from you, and has made a way though His Son, Jesus, whereby you can go to Him. About anything! There is no need for King James thees and thous --He hears your heart and knows you don't speak that way to anyone else. If you're awed by Him and choose to kneel, do it! If you're driving, don't! If you need to close your eyes to focus on Him, do it! If you're driving, don't! He is worthy of your acknowledgement, of the offering of your thoughts, of your tears and your laughter, of your breath. He is worthy!

And you can pray for anyone! I sort of hope, when I get to heaven, I will see some of the people who have been in my prayers. Or, maybe, God will give me just a peek at what was going on in that person's life at the very moment they popped into my thoughts, and I prayed for them. Maybe I'm a bit touched, but there are people for whom I pray I will probably never see again; people who stepped into my life for a nanosecond but have remained in my heart. I didn't put them there. I didn't ask them to crash into my car or walk into the garden department of Lowe's, but there they were. And they have remained with me. I think God has a reason for that.

Robert Vera, in his book A Warrior's Faith, the story of Ryan Job, writes:

I believe that all of the challenges in our lives are part of God's unique plan for each of us. This plan comes to us over time in parts of a puzzle. Each piece is delivered by strangers, friends, family members, and the random people who come into our lives ever so briefly and bring with them a critical piece of the puzzle.

I love that! We are interconnected. God is the Author of relationship; He created man and woman because it was not good for the man to be alone. What will you do with the names of the people you meet? Will you acknowledge the image of God in each life, believe His great love for them, and begin praying? When you took the piece of your puzzle from their hand, did their need, their joy, their hopes remain with you? Pray for them! Pray God miraculously meets their needs and they acknowledge His goodness. Pray God preserves that joy and gives them opportunities to bring Him glory through it. Pray God directs them in their desires and prospers them for His glory. There is no lack of concerns or people we should be lifting before God. Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven! (Matthew 6:10) 

This world is a mess (always something for which to pray!), but there are also some pretty wonderful people in it who need our prayers. So long as we have this great privilege, let's use it all day every day! Here's a challenge for you: This week, find one person --in line at the DMV, at work, checking shoes at the bowling alley (that guy could definitely use some prayer), wherever --find one person to add to your prayer list, or start your prayer list (that's okay). Just do it. Imagine how much better this world could get if we all began to pray.