My brother-in-law is building a cabin in New Mexico. He decided to do the general contracting himself to save some money. What he’s finding out is that it’s not worth it. General contractors don’t make enough to compensate for the headaches they deal with. What David is experiencing is the construction version of Murphy’s Law. Whatever can go wrong will go wrong when you’re building a house. Getting the loan was easy. Buying the lot was easy. Starting the project was easy. Finishing, on the other hand, without committing murder, is proving to be much harder. It’s like what most of us experience, to one degree or another - life is hard! It seems impossible to get ahead of the game. Many people seem destined to live life from one crisis to another.
As we wrap up this series on Faith, I want to end with a message on finishing. I would like to address questions like; “How do I make it through all of life’s struggles without killing myself, or someone else, in the process? – Is it always this hard? – Will it get any easier? What do I do, how do I respond, when nothing seems to go my way?”
Bring It On?
James 1:2-4
James 1:2-4 - Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. 3 For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.1
Ok, let’s be honest. James had to be smoking something right? I mean really, “whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy”, what kind of bull is that? “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds”? What do you want me to do James; look at life and all the problems and pain it has to offer and shout – BRING IT ON?
I signed up to Christianity because it promised to more quickly fulfill the American dream. Isn’t God related to Uncle Sam? Don’t we have certain unalienable rights? Kind of a spiritual right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.
The disconnection with this verse occurs with our purpose in life. If my life goals have to do with my happiness and I see Christianity as part of that happiness, then my theology and philosophy of life will be affected by that. I’m going to camp out on verses relating to freedom, joy (not this one of course), and abundant life. Pretty soon, abundance, happiness and success will be things that I not only expect God to provide but things He owes me. Trouble, trials, pain and suffering are things to be avoided and prayed against not embraced.
But, if "The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever", then trouble, trials and suffering play a big role. There are so many things that distract us from what Paul calls “the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ”. Pain and suffering have a way of exposing those distractions and forcing simplicity. Margaret Becker has a theory that most sickness is our body’s way of telling us to slow down. Pain and suffering also have a way of forcing us to more fully rely on God (if we let them), thus strengthening our faith. So, let me say again, if "The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever", then trouble, trials and suffering can and probably will play a big role.
Let me try to illustrate this.
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of cycling. The last five our six years have not been friendly to my waistline. So, I needed to do some aerobic exercise. Something I have always hated. About ten years ago, though, my father-in-law got me hooked on cycling.
Now as Lance Armstrong can testify to, the wind can be the competitive cyclist’s greatest enemy; second only to hills. If the wind is in your face, it slows you down and saps your strength.
In my riding, the wind usually hits me one of three ways:
Wind in my face on the way out
If I have to ride in the wind, this is how I want to do it. Because, if the wind is in my face on the way out, then on the way home it will be at my back. After riding half way, when I am beginning to get tired, I get to turn around and blow home. That’s what I keep telling myself all the way out. “Just keep going because you’re going to get to turn around soon”.
Wind in my face on the way home
This one’s not so good because it’s deceiving. If the wind is at my back when I leave then it will be in my face on the way home. Then, after riding half way, when I am beginning to get tired, I get to turn and work harder.
The deception comes if I don’t notice the wind. A couple of months ago, I went for a ride. It was my intention to ride for an hour. As I got several miles down the road, I was feeling really good. My speed was good, my rhythm was good my legs felt good; I was flying! After thirty minutes I turned around…and hit a wall! The wind had been at my back and I never noticed! I thought I was doing so well because I had gotten in great shape – what a dope. It took me thirty minutes to ride out; it took me fifty minutes to ride back!
Wind in my face both ways
Then there are those rare days when the wind changes. I start out with the wind in my face and when I turn around; I find that the wind has switched directions and is still in my face. I hate those days! That happened to me last week. Not only did the wind change but also on the way back, with about seven miles to go, one of my spokes broke and my wheel warped. So, not only was I riding into the wind, but also my wheel was rubbing against the break the whole time slowing me down even more.
Here’s the deal though. I don’t care so much about the wind. I mean, it’s annoying; but I’m riding to get into shape so the wind doesn’t matter. If I were riding time trials it would, but if I’m trying to burn calories, it doesn’t. I’m usually not on a schedule when I ride so, if I have a headwind, I usually think to myself that I will probably get a really good workout that day.
So what’s all this got to do with our faith?
Let me see if I can draw some spiritual parallels.
1. I can’t control the wind
I don’t understand the wind; I don’t have to.
I understand my spoke breaking. It was my bike’s way of saying to me; “Hey fatso, you got another fifteen pounds to lose! Why don’t you try jogging?”…I’m selling that bike.
But, I don’t understand the wind. Maybe some of you do. I know that it has something to do with high-pressure and low-pressure systems and maybe hot air and cold air coming together (or is that rain?); but I really don’t care. It doesn’t matter whether I understand what makes the wind blow or not, I can’t control it.
Ecclesiastes 9:1-2 - So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. 2
This concept brings with it a lot of freedom. We live in a very “cause-and-effect” society. These days, we are always looking for someone or something to blame. It’s certainly not my fault. When things go wrong for the Christian, or if prayers for relief seemingly go unanswered, we often respond with – “It must be God’s will”, or “I must have something to learn” or maybe “I’m probably being punished for something”. That may or may not be true. Sometimes life just happens. When we sing the song You Are In Control, we are not talking about God’s activity but rather His sovereignty.
I didn’t make the wind blow.
If the wind is at your back right now, great - Enjoy it! But you didn’t make the wind blow. Watch out for pride!
Consider what Larry Crabb has to say:
Happy people, though they’re right to be happy, face a subtle danger. They tend to spiritually gloat, to publicly express gratitude and praise for the good things they enjoy while privately thinking that blessings are their due. They can easily slip into a concern for the less fortunate that carries with it a mood of judgment: If they were more like me, they would be given the blessings I have.3
These people tend to use words like: victorious, abundant, and overcomer.
1 Corinthians 10:12 - So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 4
I can’t make the wind stop.
Let’s be clear about this. In talking about pain, trials and suffering, I’m talking about those things that are a result of life not those things that are a result of sin.
If the wind’s blowing in your face, if things aren’t going well; don’t beat yourself up over it. Don’t make something a sin issue that is not a sin issue. Don’t do that to yourself and don’t do that to someone else that may be going through a tough time. You can’t control the wind. Don’t blame God either. Instead, look for God in the wind.
Too often, when we are in pain, what we look for is the quickest way to make the pain stop. I don’t know how many times I’ve said the words – “I sure wish I could learn whatever God is trying to teach me through this.” Our biggest desire is to make the wind stop, make the pain go away.
We need to renew our minds so that our biggest desire is to find God in every circumstance, and experience Him deeper. Look for God in the wind.
2. Sometimes I have to downshift (that’s downshift, not stop)
There’s something that happens every time I ride. When the wind hits me in the face or when I come to a hill; I have to downshift. I have to slow down. If I tried to keep the same pace up the hill, it would kill me. If I tried to keep the same pace into the wind as when the wind was at my back, it would kill me. If I tried to keep the same pace as Lance Armstrong would in the same situation – well that would just be stupid and I deserve to die.
We spend a lot of time trying to keep up. We try to keep up with others and we try to keep up with our own expectations of where we should be. The one common thread is that we always seem to be behind. We are constantly running ninety miles an hour, and when the wind hits our face we don’t even slow down. We are killing ourselves. It’s time to slow down. It’s time to downshift. It’s time to wait.
Romans 8:25 - But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 5
Asking us to wait seems to be a habit with God. Consider some of the heroes of Scripture.
Abraham – God comes to him and announces the miracle that he and Sarah are going to have a child. Abraham waits 24 years.
Noah – God told Noah to build an ark because He was going to send a flood that would destroy all creation…in about a hundred years or so.
Moses – God told Moses that he would lead the people to the promise land. He had to wait forty years in the wilderness.
David – Samuel anointed him as king as a boy. He waited for years in caves running from Saul before he ever took his place on the throne.
Simeon – Simeon had been waiting all his life. He was waiting to die. But more importantly he was waiting for Jesus.
Disciples – They lived with Jesus. They saw His miracles. They participated in His miracles. They watched Him die. The saw him resurrected. He blessed them. He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. Then He told them to wait.
Isaiah 30:15 - “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. 6
OUCH!
Isaiah 40:31 - But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.7
If the wind is hitting you in the face, you probably need to downshift. Slow down! - Look for God in the wind.
3. I might have to ask for help.
On my ride from the office I have about five different places I can stop if I have a problem. These are friends who have businesses on Highway 34. In fact the other day I had a flat and stopped at Greenville Tractor supply and used their telephone to call David to come get me. Sure I could have fixed the flat. I had tools and a patch with me. But it was so much easier to call for help.
How many times in life do we experience difficulty and we stop and try to fix it ourselves. I understand the need for independence and the politeness that prevents us from wanting to impose on others. But is that usually the issue? Or are we just too prideful to ask for help. Are we afraid of rejection or not appearing “with it”? We all face headwinds. I think that God gave us the Body of Christ for the very purpose of getting through difficult times a little easier.
An interesting fact - In competitive cycling, many times what separates the winners from the losers is an individual’s ability to “draft”. Drafting is when one cyclist rides closely behind another cyclist so that the leader blocks the wind. This technique is so crucial that Lance Armstrong had an entire team of cyclist in the Tour De’ France dedicated to this one task. Team members took a turn being the lead cyclist, so that Lance could draft from them. That way there was always a fresh guy up front. On days that they faced tough hills, the team brought in climbing specialist to pace Lance up the hill. Imagine an entire team dedicated to making sure you win!
Hebrews 10:23-25 - Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.8
This may be the hardest one for many of us. If you are facing a headwind, are there those to whom you could turn for help. What is holding you back? Look for God in the wind. Look for God in others at they help you face the wind.
4. I have to keep peddling
When I’m riding; stopping when I hit a headwind or a hill is not an option. Mainly because it wouldn’t do any good. Unless of course I want to build a house or occupy a box on the side of Highway 34. What usually keeps me going is that I know I get to turn around soon or that I will be home soon. In the middle of a ride, especially when I have the wind in my face, I have to continually remind myself of the purpose of my ride and no be distracted by anything else.
Hebrews 12:1 - And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.9
The interesting thing about Hebrews 12 is that it comes after Hebrews 11 (I know that’s a revelation for some of you). Hebrews 11 is an account of Biblical Characters who faced the wind, found God in the wind, and finished well. There are those who started with the wind at their back and finished with the wind at their back. There are those who started with the wind in their face only to be lifted “on wings as eagles” to finish soaring. Then there are those who faced the wind their entire lives. Consider how the writer finishes the chapter.
Hebrews 11:32-40
“Keep Your Fork” – If You Want To Walk On Water, You’ve Got To Get Out Of The Boat, pg. 169
1Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.
2The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
3 Larry Crabb, Shattered Dreams (Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press) 2001.
4The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
5The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
6The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
7Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.
8Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.
9Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.
