Take Heart!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

It's been awhile since I've written anything here. I intended to use the above passage in an entry for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I never got around to writing that entry. On September 6, I had to put down my beloved dog, Tabitha, who was my constant companion for 15 1/2 years. To say that I was overwhelmed with grief would be an understatement. A week later, I went to retrieve her ashes, only to come home to find that a water pipe had burst in the ceiling above my new kitchen, the ceiling had collapsed, and the whole house was flooded. At that moment I began to identify a little bit with Job.

I honestly don't know how people make it through life without Christ. Sometimes it's hard enough to make it with Him on our side. If it was not for His constant presence and peace, and the incredible friendship that I have with two of the most generous people I have ever known, I would have probably had a nervous breakdown. I suppose God had me wait with this message until I had something more personal to share than the academic musings that I had originally intended.

Throughout this double whammy that I was experiencing, the above verse kept running through my mind. Jesus' intent on warning us about coming troubles wasn't to scare us, but rather to prepare us for what was inevitable, and to reassure us of two things: He has overcome the world (and its problems that abound), and we can have peace in the midst of such troubles. Notice that He didn't say, "I will overcome the world." Rather, He uses the past tense: "I have overcome the world." It's a done deal as far as He's concerned. This means that we don't have to face each new trouble wondering if He will overcome this one like He did the last one. Instead, we can rest assured that not only has He overcome the current situation, but He also knew it was going to happen and prepared the way for us to make it through with His help.

One of the things I learned a long time ago is that no one is exempt from troubles in this life. People often question their troubles with a rhetorical "why me?" Somewhere along the way I began to understand that the real question should be "why not me?" What makes anyone think that they are so special or favored that they should skip along through life without any problems? Jesus told us that we will all have troubles. Not, we might have troubles, or that some people will have troubles. Troubles come along with breathing. Sooner or later, we will all faces trials and tribulations. In fact, if anyone tries to convince you that you must be doing something wrong if you're having problems, they are simply lying to you. Sure, some of our troubles are self-inflicted, but often things simply happen beyond our control or understanding. Christians who go around claiming to lived such blessed lives that they are unscathed by trouble are either delusional or hiding something.

I'm not out of the woods yet in this current situation. I'm writing this from my hotel room where I'm staying until my house is restored to a livable condition. And I still miss my "baby girl" very much. But I also have an inexplicable peace that I know comes from my faith in Christ, which allows me to continue on with my life (such as it is). Just as Job ended up getting a double blessing after he endured all of the troubles that came upon him, I too expect that great good will come out of these recent events in my life, even if I can't understand or imagine what they might be. Thank God for the peace that comes with Christ's overcoming power!

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David