The Good and the Bad vs. The Ugly

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 1 Peter 4:12-13

There’s no apparent rhyme nor reason, just what seems like a determined path of destruction. Over here, you see an old pine tree, or a pressure-treated utility pole, snapped half way up like it was nothing more than a Popsicle stick. A quarter of a mile down the road, a mobile home sits seemingly undisturbed, while a site-built home another block down is nothing more than a shambles. Peaceful, green pastures are littered with people’s furniture, their clothing, and their memories.

Tragedy comes, as do blessings, to both the evil and the good. There is no guarantee that we won’t see trials; the Scripture is full of admonition for those who are expecting a rose garden. To be sure, prayer is effective, and we serve a God who hears them, but nonetheless, sometimes, the storms hit even the most faithful. Ironically, the same events that bring the lost into the church are also the catalysts for some to abandon it.

It’s a normal part of the process for even the most faithful of Christians to question God when the storms wash away what we’ve cherished. I have enough faith in His love to believe He’s okay with the occasional “Hey, what’s the deal?!” kind of question. He knows it’s tough. Maybe He didn’t spare your house, or your loved one. Maybe you’re questioning why one person prayed and was spared, and your loved one wasn’t. I don’t know the answer, but I know that we don’t have to know; we just have to trust Him, and rely on Him to bear us through. That’s what faith does: it give us peace when we don’t understand, strength when we can’t walk, hope when we can’t see far enough.

John Garrod

(Click on the above title for a related video put together by Athena Davis)

Praying for the Bread Truck, and Here “HE” comes!

“Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:38

I grew to detest that sound. It doesn’t matter what tune they play, it’s all the same-the sound quality is horrible, but the lure is irresistible. To make it worse, we lived on the corner of a loop, so we got him coming in, we got him going out, and we heard him go through the other loop behind us. I’m inside praying for a bread truck to swing by with free samples, and instead, HE shows up.

I think he had a hidden camera in my house. Seems like we were always scrounging pennies for gas, or bread, or something, and here he comes: The Pied Piper of Sugar. He’s trolling through, casting that audible bait, and the kids’ ears would perk up: The Ice Cream Man is Coming!

But that’s the way temptation works: it tempts you. The Tofu Truck would never have pulled me out of my air-conditioned living room. The Veggie Van? I’m not giving up my last $5.73 for frozen carrot juice! But an ice cream sandwich, melting so fast in the Florida heat that you have to lick the last half of it off your fingers? That’s some good stuff!

Trials aren’t just about dramatic and fiery tests of your will to live. Trials come in the form of day-to-day tests of what is right versus what feels good and what everybody around you seems to want you to do. Ice cream vs. bread isn’t a major trial for most of us (unless you’re down to your last $5.73), but sexual immorality, coarse language, gossip-these and other opportunities are always around us. “Everybody’s doing it; it’s not that bad; it’s fun; come on, live a little!” Have you heard any of those?

That’s why it is so important for us to focus on the basics of the Christian walk. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and the only prevention is to be paid up, prayed up, praised up, and focusing on the Bread at all times. Because somewhere, lurking around the corner, waiting to hit the music, is the Ice Cream Man, and he wants your bread money.
by John Garrod