Imagine being bedridden for several years due to the ravaging affects of an
unknown illness. Pain is your constant companion. Friends have become scarce,
and you feel you have been completely abandoned by anyone who could brighten
your days. You're facing death all alone. Does anyone really care?
If this were you, would you still be worshipping God with all of your heart?
It's easy enough to follow God when you see how He blesses you. However, we must
ask ourselves: Are we pursuing God to have a relationship with Him, or simply to
receive His blessings? Is it possible that we have caught the Santa Claus
syndrome? That we treat God solely as kids treat Santa Claus? "Dear God, I would
like better health. And while you're at it, you've promised prosperity if I give
of my tithes and offerings. Well, I've done MY part . . . Hint!"
In a materialistic world like ours, it is really easy to look at relationships
as ways to satisfy our personal wants and desires. But what happens when the
roof caves in and the expected gifts suddenly stop showing up? Are we still
eager to have this "relationship" with God?
Job experienced such disaster. Besides losing all of his possessions and all of
his children, he lost his health as well. The only friends remaining were ones
that enjoyed accusing him. Hardly pleasant company when you've just lost
everything! His wife wasn't very encouraging either. She complained: "Are you
still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9 NIV)
Job refused to let himself be swayed. His response was firm: "You are talking
like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (Job 2:10
NIV)
It is so easy to start blaming God for our troubles, especially when His
blessings seem to have evaporated from our lives! However, if we do not stand
firm, our lives will turn out to be worse off than ever before, and eventually
we may even be tempted to toy with the idea of suicide.
Let's see what we can learn from Job: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and
naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of
the LORD be praised." (Job 1:21 NIV)
Job continued to praise God through his trials. Why? Because Job had spent his
life pursuing a RELATIONSHIP with God, not simply a blessing!
Be aware that the Christian way is not the easy way. Expect troubles! "In fact,
everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…" (2
Tim 3:12 2 NIV); and "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of
God." (Acts 14:22 NIV).
How will you react when you are in the midst of trials, when everything seems
bleak, when all of your friends seem to have evaporated from the surface of the
earth? You can be assured that these times WILL come! If you do not have a sound
and stable relationship with God now, chances are, you will believe the lies
spoken by the one who put us in our misery in the first place, and you will turn
on God! "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your
father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth,
for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for
he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44 NIV)
Consider this poor widow: "A poor widow came and put in two very small copper
coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus
said, 'I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than
all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty,
put in everything-all she had to live on.'" (Mark 12:42-44 NIV)
Far from being disgruntled, this poor widow gave all that was left of her
possessions to help others, all the while praising God for being able to help
out in this manner! She knew her Maker, and as a result, she believed beyond
doubt that God would provide for all her needs, no matter what. She hadn't
adopted the Santa Claus syndrome. Her only concern was to have a personal
relationship with the One who loved her. She continued to praise God despite her
circumstances.
I was living in Tucson, Arizona when I received the call. I had taught French
for three years at a college in Washington state, and during that time I had
highly encouraged my students to participate in a one year exchange program
abroad. The voice on the other end was that of a former student:
"Hi, this is Cynthia." (Not her real name.)
"Hi Cynthia!" I exclaimed. "It's good to hear from you!" None of my former
students knew my phone number. How had she found out how to contact me?
"I have some bad news to share with you," she stated.
I could hear her sobbing softly, and I became suddenly serious: "What
happened???"
"My fiancé died yesterday," was her simple response.
Cynthia's fiancé had been one of my former students as well, and it had been
under my encouragement that he had gone to France for the year. "What happened?"
I asked, trying to keep my shaking voice under control.
"He went out to climb the Salève (a local mountain near the college in France).
He usually went with someone; but this time, he couldn't find anyone who wanted
to go with him, so he decided to climb it on his own. We're not sure exactly how
it happened, but he lost his footing and plunged to his death at the bottom of
the mountain."
Her tears poured forth now. How I wished I could hug her and tell her everything
would be all right, but reality kept me from it. After all, everything would
NEVER be okay again! All I could do was to stammer out: "Oh no!"
Silence followed as I desperately tried to find the right words to say. Then I
heard her say: "I'll be okay. I'll miss him, and I wish things could have turned
out differently, but I know that one day I will see him again! Oh, I can't wait
for that day!"
Wow! I was floored! Instead of blaming God, she was relying on Him for strength,
and as a result, she was assured that she would see her fiancé again!
"I'm hanging on to Jesus," she continued. "I know He will hold me up."
These words stuck with me for a long time. I knew Cynthia wouldn't be
disappointed!
So just what do we do when life falls apart? Will we, like Cynthia, let God
catch us? Or will we blame Him instead? The choice is ours to make. In the
meantime, may I encourage you to get to know Jesus as your personal Savior. You
will discover that He is indeed your friend. He truly cares for you. He wants
you to be His friend. Will you let Him?
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)
Will you let Him catch you?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.