“THE CHIPPIE SOLUTION!”
Romans 5:3-8 - Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
A few years ago, I heard a minister friend of mine tell a story about a little house bird who lived in a gilded cage. The little bird’s name was Chippie. Chippie was a canary that lived a good life in a good home in a good neighborhood with good owners. Chippie had everything that he needed and could ever want. His cage was kept clean. He had plenty of food and water to eat and drink. And he received just enough sun light to make him feel alive and well. Chippie had a lot to sing about, so he spent his days singing cheerfully and boldly to the glory of his owners.
But one day, while Chippie was securely locked in his gilded cage minding his own business and taking a nap, the new maid, who was vacuuming the drapes near his cage, was startled, for moment, by the house cat that ran near her feet.
In her startled condition the maid jumped back with her hands raised in the air and she accidentally placed the open end of the vacuum cleaner’s wand into the cage where little Chippie was sleeping. Unknown to the maid, little Chippie was sucked into the vacuum cleaner system and ended-up in the waste bag with all of the filthy dust and dirt that had been picked-up during the cleaning process.
It was not until the maid later dumped the dust and dirt out of the vacuum cleaner bag that she discovered the filth-covered frame of poor little Chippie. The maid, afraid of what the owners might do if they discovered Chippie in that condition, rushed to the kitchen and placed Chippie under the faucet and turned on the water. The maid washed and scrubbed Chippie until his feathers started to look like they were getting clean again. But Chippie’s appearance still presented a problem. For now Chippie was soaked and wet and his feathers were all frizzled.
So the maid took out the blow dryer and blew its cold air all over Chippie until his feathers became somewhat dry. Then the maid placed little Chippie back into the security of his gilded cage and left him there.
When little Chippie’s owners came home later that day they approached Chippie’s cage and greeted him as they usually did. They were expecting to be greeted by the sweet sounds of Chippie’s cheerful singing. But they noticed that this time there was something different about him. Chippie was still in his gilded cage with all of his conveniences nearby, but Chippie wasn’t singing like he used to. Chippie had been sucked-in, washed-over and blown-out with a cold wind to such a point that he just didn’t feel like singing his song any more.
Maybe there is someone here today that feels like the events in your life has treated you somewhat in the same way Chippie was treated. Maybe life has sucked you in to some bad situations that caused you to make some bad decisions.
Maybe life has washed you over with the filth of this world and you just don’t feel like you’re good enough to accomplish some of the things you would love to try.
Maybe life has blown you out so far that you can’t find your way back to holiness and purity.
Maybe you feel like you have been treated unfair and have been given a heavy burden or an un-natural load of suffering to such a point that, just like that little caged bird, Chippie, you have also lost your ability and desire to sing your song with your usual excitement and joy.
It is true that we, as human creatures, do not understand why it is necessary for suffering to occur in our lives. We feel that if we work hard and are studious, if we set realistic goals and plan well the steps to achieve these goals that everything ought to work out alright. Yet, each and everyday we find ourselves faced with another situation…another problem…. another disappointment…another set-back …and maybe even another failure. And we justifiably begin to feel like that little canary in the gilded cage.
Well, the truth, my bros. & my sis., is that you are not alone is this condition. In fact, we all must face a certain amount of disappoint, sorrow, pain and even suffering in life. These events have been and will always be a part of living on this earth. We don’t like it very much, but that is a reality of the dimension in which we live. Even though we must acknowledge the truth of this we also must admit that dealing with these tragic occurrences continues to be a problem for most of us. Had we been consulted about the matter in the first place, we would probably have suggested to God that our lives should go on without any painful experiences at all. Wouldn’t you prefer to live your life without any problems, pains or disappointments?
Well, before we throw up our hands and develop a defeatist attitude, we really need to take another look at that little bird named Chippie. Chippie was just an ordinary canary. He was not an expensive bird. He was not a unique or rare bird. He was not on any “endangered species” list. He was not a professionally trained bird. Chippie was just an ordinary bird who was fortunate enough to be living in a gold lined cage within a beautiful suburban home.
But, what I did not tell you before, was that when Chippie became aware of his owner’s disappointment when they were not greeted by his usual song of cheer, little Chippie reached down deep inside of himself and called on some inner strength he did not even know he had. Little Chippie lifted up his head, took in a deep breath and sang out a melody sweeter than he had ever sung before. Little Chippie was ordinary but, when called upon, he did the extraordinary.
I’m sure that there are a few of you here today that would enjoy trading places with people like Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Bill Cosby, Ivana Trump, Jodie Foster, Will Smith, Jada Pinket, T.D. Jakes or Juanita Bynum. So many of us see theses folks as extraordinary people who live charmed lives because they have been gifted with abilities that the ordinary person does not possess. But the reality, my bros. & my sis., is that it does not take extraordinary abilities to make it in this life.
It only takes ordinary people doing the extraordinary.
History is filled with examples of ordinary people making great strides and accomplishing great feats. The only difference between some of them and you and I today is the attitudes embraced by their hearts. Their hearts were not filled with despair and hopelessness. Their hearts were not filled with selfishness and disregard for others. Their hearts were not filled with callous and insensitive pessimism. But they took three approaches to their lives that we need to always remember when we face the trials of this life.
Their first approach to life was that they rejoiced in the midst of their hardships and their sufferings. In other words, they looked for the good that could come from the tragic occurrences they encountered. They looked for the learning experience that would make them a better person in the midst of their trials. They either learned what to do or they learned what not to do. But every experience they encountered taught them something; and they strove to benefit from it.
One day Thomas A. Dorsey faced emotional suffering at the loss of his wife and newly born baby. By his own testimony he said he couldn’t spend his life sitting around feeling sad no matter how badly he felt. In stead, he put pen to paper and told the Lord how he felt by writing the words to one of his more popular songs.
“Precious Lord, take my hand; Lead me on, let me stand; I am tired I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light, Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.”
In other words, Thomas Dorsey knew that as long as he “kept his hands in the unchanging hands of God”, God would “lead him and guide him” through every storm condition this world could throw at him!
The second approach of those ordinary folks that exhibited extraordinary abilities was simply “just not giving up”. They persevered in the midst of their disappointments. Perseverance means to exist in a state of "patience" or "endurance". The idea here is that when we respond correctly to our disappointments we gain the ability to “hang on in there” even when the going begins to really gets tough.
The word in the Greek that is translated “perseverance” is a word made up of two parts. The prefix means "under" or "below." The rest of the word means a "living place." The whole word put together simply means to "live under the weight of something that is constantly pressing down upon you." It was used to describe the crushing of olives to extract their valuable oil or the crushing of grapes to press out their fine aromatic wines.
Perseverance, then, means that we have the ability, through our faith in the Eternal presence of God to endure whatever it is that is placed upon our shoulders. And what is the benefit of perseverance?
Well, my bros. & my sis., let me say it like this. Perseverance makes us steady and sure under fire. And I don’t know about you, but that’s the kind of person I want working and striving and praying next to me when I am going through a major spiritual battle.
When Satan is causing the weight of the world to come down upon me and I need to call on a friend that will stand-by me, I want somebody there who won’t falter or fall!
I want somebody there who won’t quiver or quit!
I want somebody to be there who will stand steady against the fires of hell and say, just like those three “ordinary” Hebrew boys who were thrown into Nebuchadnezzer’s fiery furnace, “The God we serve is able to save us, but even if He decides not to, we will STAND by faith together!”
The third and final approach that allowed ordinary people to do the extraordinary was the development of their “character”. The word “character”, in the Greek language, is based upon a word that means "tested" or "approved." Character, then, is something that comes from our experiences of going through the “fires of life”.
When you and I have withstood the test and responded well, we become approved or qualified. Our “character” is what establishes and qualifies you and me as a person of worth.
Think about the kind of people who have made a difference in the development of your Christian life. The kind of people we respect are those folks who are people of substance and people of depth.
These are people who have experienced life and learned enough from it to have something to pass on to we who followed after them.
These are people who have something to say because they have gone through the valleys and the shadows of death. They have gone through the fires and they have gone through the floods of temptation.
And when you go through the fire without being consumed, you become a person of worth, you become a person of valuable Christian character. These are the kind of people who were born ordinary but were used by God to make an extraordinary difference in this world in which we live.
************************
A free benefit that their suffering produced in their lives, my bros. & my sis., is known as “hope”. Hope is just having a made up mind to trust in the sovereignty of God. Hope is trusting that God’s will is still what’s in control of this world. And we need a little hope, today. For hope inspires us believe that one way or another, Paul’s declaration of hope in Rom. 8:28 will be true for us, just like it was for him. Paul said,
“For all things are working together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose!”.
God even takes the “bad things” that come our way and He uses them to change us into the image of Jesus Christ.
Each and everyday, the purpose of God is being worked out in all of our lives.
Oh, we can trust, today, that God is making us better through our suffering.
For if we open-up our eyes, we can see just how much God loves us, through the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ.
For the Bible says, while we were yet sinners;
…while we were yet lost;
...while we were yet tied-up and wrapped-up in our sins;
…while we were yet destined to die and bound for hell;
…Jesus came; Jesus suffered; Jesus hung; Jesus bled; Jesus died; Jesus was buried and Jesus got up again!
And then, Jesus declared, “All power is in My hands”.
Faith is the key …Hope unlocks the door!
And some of you here can declare, just like your pastor, that your hope has been built on nothing less…Than Jesus’ blood and His righteousness!
And just like that little bird, Chippie…no matter what life has dealt you...
No matter how hard times may been for you...
When you saw the object of your love,…
When you saw your family and your loved ones safe and saved…
When you saw the successes you had made because you tried with every-thing you had….
You also began singing a brand new song…
You began singing a song that the angels cannot sing…
You began singing, because you were happy..
You began singing because your soul was redeemed…
You began singing because the same eye that watches over a bird named Chippie…
It’s the same eye that’s watched over you!
And the song I heard you singing was, “After all the trials I’ve been through, I still have joy!”
