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In April of 2018 Avengers Infinity War came to theaters. Thanos, the villain of the film, figures out a way to wipe out half of all life in the universe. With just a snap of his fingers it was done. Isn't that like life? It seems like in just a snap of our fingers life can change so quickly. Our current plans, dreams and desires suddenly go out the window.
Renowned author Joseph Campbell was the creator of the "Hero's Journey," which is a type of mythological story telling. Star Wars creator George Lucas said he got his inspiration from Campbell's template and most writers and directors still follow his template today. Campbell came up with a meta-narrative arc that he believed most stories followed. First, there is a Call to Adventure, where the hero leaves home for a new adventure or to answer a calling. Then comes The Threshold, where the hero faces battles that humble him or her. Then comes The Abyss, where the hero is finally defeated and broken.The Abyss is a type of Hell. In Infinity War, the Abyss comes as the loss of half of humanity. The Abyss is where death happens. It is the part of the story when the hero dies in some way. Who the hero thought he or she has now been destroyed. But Campbell said that the Abyss is a place where transformation takes place. Only when all is truly lost and stripped away can the hero finally become who they are meant to be. They no longer are held back by their wants and desires but they are humbled and stronger than ever. The next phase is Atonement, where the hero makes amends with the past and others. When things fall apart in our lives we are challenged to humble ourselves and make amends with the past so we can move forward. Atonement can only come after a death. Dying to our old ways sometimes looks like letting go of anger, hurt and rejection. Offering forgiveness to ourselves and others releases us to move forward. The last phase is The Journey Home. This is when the fight is over and the hero heads home, even if home has changed. I believe this model is seen in Biblical story telling. We see multiple Biblical figures who have lived in the Abyss. Job, Noah, Naomi, Paul, Adam and Eve just to name a few. I believe we see this throughout our Bible because God is trying to get our attention. He reminds us that when there is catastrophic loss there is also a comeback like we have never dreamed. The most notable person to enter the Abyss and come back is Jesus. Our Savior who entered death on a cross concurred the Abyss and was raised from the dead three days later. God is reminding us that there is nothing this side of eternity that will keep us from him. There is a life after death and there is a home after all is lost. We will have a part II to our Infinity War. There is an End Game. You may not get back exactly what you have lost in the Abyss, but God will give back more than what was lost in the first place. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more - or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist." Revelations 21:4 (NET Bible) God gives a life after the Abyss. It may not look like what we originally wanted, but it is far better than we could ever imagine. God doesn't just promise Revelation 21:4 on the day He returns. He promises it every day. We may encounter death in our lives, but there is so much more life God has to give than there is death. Devotional Questions
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What ever happened to Orpah? If you read that too quickly you probably thought I said Oprah. No, I am not talking about the billionaire television personality but Orpah. Orpah is found in the book of Ruth, and she is the daughter in law of Naomi. Naomi was a woman whose husband and two sons died. In Naomi’s day to lose the primary men in your life was to lose your home. Husbands or sons owned land and property, so for Naomi she not only lost her family but also her home. She then was left with two daughter-in-law’s who were just as in need as she was.
“Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Listen to me! Each of you should return to your mother’s home! May the LORD show you the same kind of devotion that you have shown to your deceased husbands and to me! May the LORD enable each of you to find security in the home of a new husband!” Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept loudly. But they said to her, “No! We will return with you to your people.” Ruth 1:8-10 (NET Bible) Orpah stayed around for a few more moments, but then we see, “Again they wept loudly. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung tightly to her.” Ruth 1:14 (NET Bible) Sometimes in life when we go through loss, the people you thought would stay leave. I remember when I went through a divorce there were people who kept a loving distance. Looking back, I now believe it’s because they may not have known what to say. In Ruth 1:14, it seems that Orpah went against her word and abandoned Naomi when she realized how hard it would be to stay. Sometimes when people who say they love us drop out of our lives it just plain hurts. But later on in the story we see Ruth being used by God to save Naomi and give her a home. I believe it would have been more difficult for Naomi to try help two daughter-in-law’s instead of one. The reality is that God had a long term view, and he knows why some people cannot walk the whole way with us. When Orpah left, Naomi didn't try to hurt Orpah for going back on her promise; she let her leave. Perhaps some people do not stay because God has a view of a future we cannot yet see. Ultimately, in Naomi’s darkest days God provided and his plan worked out splendidly. Ruth married Boaz and they had a child who would usher in the lineage of Jesus. Sometimes God whittles down the friends and relationships in our lives because it helps us to walk out his plans for our lives. More people, more voices, and more opinions may be what God whittles away in our lives when he requires us to walk a narrow and obedient path. It is as my mother once told me, “Some people can’t come with you”. Devotional Questions
Louis Zamperini was an Olympic distance runner who set amazing records. Before he could get into his prime for long distance running World War II arrived at the western front and he joined the Army Air Corps. On May 27, 1943 Louis’ plane crashed somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. After nearly 47 days adrift in a life raft, Louis and another airmen were picked up by Japanese sailors and taken to a POW Camp. Louis was regularly abused by the notorious Mutsuhiro "The Bird" Watanabe. “The Bird” was included in General Douglas MacArthur’s list of the forty most wanted war criminals.
From Olympic runner to prisoner, Louis’ life had taken a turn. The Japanese POW camps had a reputation of being the cruelest of conditions. Louis would later be liberated, but when he came home he found himself in another kind of prison. Louis had what we know today is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nightmares of the notorious Mutsuhito “The Bird” Watanabe would plague his nights. During the day Louis often found himself drinking to soothe himself from his anxiety and depression. One night as Louis sat on the brink of divorce his wife convinced him to attend a Billy Gram crusade. After years of hurting Louis life changed that night. “Graham went on and spoke of God reaching into the world through miracles and the intangible blessings that give men the strength to outlast their sorrows. “God works miracles one after another,” he said. “… God says, ‘If you suffer, I’ll give you the grace to go forward.’ ” (Hillenbrand 381-382). That night Louis stepped on to a path that changed his life. Louis decided that he would keep a deal he had made with God all those years ago while he was adrift at sea, “If you save me I will serve you”. In a single, silent moment, his rage, fear, humiliation, and helplessness, had fallen away. That morning, he believed, he was a new creation. (Hillenbrand 383) After that life-changing experience Louis spent the rest of his life helping others. He spent much of his time volunteering at church and helping counsel at-risk youth. Louis turned years of pain into a catalyst for ministry. “Now a man was there who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and when he realized that the man had been disabled a long time already, he said to him, “Do you want to become well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get into the water, someone else goes down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and started walking. (Now that day was a Sabbath.)” John 5:6-9 (Net Bible) This man not unlike Louis, disabled through no fault of his own, but Jesus asks if he wants to be healed. Though it seems like a silly question, we have to become an active participant in our own healing. I learned long ago that sometimes people don't want change because it’s too scary or that their situation has become comfortable. When we decide that we have been hurting long enough we can say, “Lord I’m ready”. We can leave behind old ways, old coping skills, and long carried hurt. We can use our own healing to bring healing into the lives of others we encounter along the way. Devotion Questions
As far back as I can remember I have worried. I’ve worried about everything from peoples' opinions of me to whether or not I would graduate from college and become a successful adult. I have been told many things that were intended to help from some well-meaning Christians. Some told me to “just stop worrying,” or that I was choosing to worry because it was my “pet sin,” much like how some people chose drugs or porn. I found neither of those responses particularly helpful. They only made me feel like I was more of a failure; like, “Oh great, here is another thing I’m failing at!”.
But Jesus has much to say about worry: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are” -Matthew 6:25-26 (NET Bible) This doesn't sound like a God who is angry with me because of my constant worrying, but rather a God who gently reminds me of how important I am to Him. God feeds the birds of the sky, but we are more important to Him. So what does that mean for us? God is concerned about our anxieties and desires to soothe them. Jesus’ reassuring words depict a God who comforts. “Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are?”. Those of us who worry often carry wounds very few see. Some of us may have become traumatized by stressful life events like divorce, death or other losses. Our worry is a survival mechanism to help us come up with a plan to keep us safe. If we have experienced times where our emotional, physical, and or spiritual safety has been jeopardized, we may fall back into survival mode. But survival mode says, “I can’t trust anyone and I must do this on my own.” While that last statement may have felt true at times, it is not the whole story. Jesus out stretches his hand to us saying, “You don't have do this alone. Don't worry. I understand, and I will provide for you.” Devotional Questions • What is God asking you to trust him with? • Were there times when you had to go into survival mode? What were they and why? • Take time today to list out your worries to God. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…”
(Ephesians 6: 10-18 ESV) I can remember when I was a child going to Children’s Church and hearing this scripture read. In Sunday school we would march around carrying tinfoil swords, cardboard shields and paper plate helmets. I can only imagine how adorable it was to see us children march around in our homemade armor it is something that I grew up never forgetting. We as Christians are entrenched in a battle with those we cannot see. When things are well in our lives it is easy to forget that we are still to pray and stay strong in our faith. We are to put on our belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, and shied of faith, helmet of salvation and sword of spirit. In my own words, I believe it means we are commanded to be wrapped in the truth of God. The truth is that we belong to God and are loved by him. We are never to forget our integrity, there may be things in our lives that we encounter where we are asked compromise our beliefs but we are to hold fast. But though we are at war with the unseen we are to enter into every situation be it family, work or political discussions with the intention peace. We are also to stand behind our faith, remembering that Christ has given us life and a life that should bring credit to our faith. Lastly, we cannot forget that God has given us promises in His word and God’s promises will alway remain true. We have a God who hasn't left us but marches into battle beside us. We no longer march around with tinfoil swords, cardboard shields and paper plate hats but we now have armor that keeps up ready for any situation that may come our way.
“Shalom, shalom” were the words my old supervisor used when she ended text messages, emails and our classes. It is a term seen throughout the Bible, and it is something God says we are to have and to give. In its most basic sense the word shalom means peace. It is much deeper, however than to just have peace. Shalom means completeness, safety in our entire being, and to give from a place of wholeness. Shalom means having peace and repaying that peace back into your surroundings.
Shalom literally says, “May you be full of well-being” or, “may health and prosperity be upon you.”1 “Peace” for me means giving over my own wants and desires to God. Praying and allowing myself to completely say “yes” to God’s will, even if it meant my wants would never come to pass. When I surrender, I begin to experience a peace that I don't have words to describe. Jesus describes a Shalom that he gives us. “Shalom I leave with you. My shalom I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don't let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.”(John 14:27 HVN Bible) When Jesus is saying those words he is talking to the disciples and telling them to trust in God’s plan. Have peace. You may not be able to see it yet, but God is up to something. How difficult it is to trust in the unseen! Yet God’s promises will always be fulfilled. So what are we to do with shalom that God gives us? “Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the LORD for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.” ( Jeremiah 29:7 NET Bible) We are to try and bring peace into every place we go. Jeremiah talks about bringing peace even in exile. Perhaps it is our job to bring peace even in situations we resent. We are to bring peace to places we don't want to be. Devotional Questions • What does “shalom” look like for you? • What situations or people do you find it hard to say, “may health and prosperity be upon you?” • How does our frustration with our environment reveal what are looking for in our work, family, relationships, or career that only God can provide to us? • Begin a prayer today that requests that God would give you His shalom. 1. Hershey, Doug. “THE TRUE MEANING OF SHALOM.” FIRM. firm.org. Accessed August 24, 2019. https://firm.org.il/learn/the-meaning-of-shalom/.) Jim Elliot was an American missionary who sought to evangelize the Huaorani indigenous people group of Ecuador. The Huaorani were a people who had been at war with other indigenous tribes for decades. As 1950’s Ecuador was becoming more modernized the Huaorani were becoming more dangerous. No outsider had made contact with the tribe without being speared to death by the Huaorani people.
Jim was one of five missionaries that attempted to make contact with the tribe on January 8, 1956. On that fateful Sunday Jim and four other missionaries made contact with the Huaorani people. After landing a small plane on a bank off the Curaray river the visit began well. These 5 men had meticulously planned and prayed for years for this day. Handing gifts to some of the people, playing music and even giving a plane ride to one of them. This appeared to be exactly what they were waiting for. Suddenly a miss-understanding and rushed voices in a language they didn’t understand marked a turn for the worst. The young missionaries were speared to death by the Huaorani and torrential rain pulled their bodies into the river. One of my favorite movies “The End of the Spear” depicts the entire story. After years of preparation they appeared to fail. Most of the missionaries’ wives and children returned to the United States. Some of wives stayed as well as one their sisters and attempted to make contact again. This time the contact was a success. The tribe came to know Christ and Huaorani stopped killing. A tribe at war began an era of peace. While the end is beautiful, it can’t possibly wipe away the hurt the families endured. Romans 8:28 is easily one of my favorite Bible verses. “And we know that all things work together “for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (NET Bible) My brother once told me Paul was writing Romans in the midst of people dying for their faith. Gruesomely tortured and broken. Sometimes what’s good costs a heavy price. What’s good comes after major failure. Jim Elliot would never know a peaceful Huaorani people in his lifetime. But good would come later. As I write this now it feels flavorless to me. It’s hard for me to imagine feeling peace about never experiencing the fruit of my work first hand. I remember a time when God told me to love someone no matter what they did or how they acted. I did everything God said but eventually I would be met by them with anger and rejection. The kinder I became, the worse they acted towards me. I had believed I would see them transform before my eyes but it never came. I eventually walked away feeling like I had failed. I still have no clue what result if any that encounter made. But even when there is no immediate blessing out of the ashes we don’t know what God will do later. Failure in our endeavors might be something that changes someone else’s world. And that is the most Christlike thing ever. When Christ was crucified it most assuredly looked like failure to the disciples But the death and resurrection offered salvation to a world. You may not be able to affect the change you hope to see in your marriage, work, or church, but you may be laying the ground work for something world-changing. -Have you ever experienced a failure that resulted in catastrophic loss? -What heavenly outcomes might there be due to our failures? -Give yourself permission to hope that God uses your failures even if you never see the outcome. “Until the pain of change hurts more than the pain of remaining the same, most people will choose to remain the same.”
-Dr. Richard Dobbins In 2016 I was working through my chaplaincy residency at Providence Alaska Medical Center. The work was rigorous and challenging. Encountering so many people on a daily basis who were going through major loss and crisis caused me to revaluate my own life. One day during a lecture at the hospital a Doctor said something that gave me pause, “Chaotic life, Chaotic death. What I mean by that is, life wont just up and change on its own. The way you're living right now is the way it will be when you die.” Gasping in my spirit is asked myself, “Was my life the way I wanted it to be? No, not at all. ” Sitting around and hoping for change was not enough. It was time to choose a different life and to make different choices. For me I always struggled with standing up for myself. The term “lover not a fighter” most certainly has my picture over it. I will admit that lacking confidence and the assertiveness I needed created a long line of toxic people, work situations and relationships in my life. I decided that I didn't want to die hating the life I lived. It was time to change. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 (ESV) God doesn't just call us to know His son Jesus but also to a full and good life. A good and peace filled life clarifies the clear work of the Holy Spirit. It is hard to see the beautiful architecture of a home if it is surrounded by weeds and run down land scape. Christ changes our eternal path and hearts but we hold the opportunity to choose different attitudes and actions. There is an instance in the book of Acts that I have fallen in love with. “Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen (a close friend of Herod Manaen the tetrarch from childhood) and Saul. While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Acts 13:1-2 (NET Bible) I absolutely love the variety of people these verses list as prophets and teachers. Barnabas Simeon and Lucius were African immigrants. Saul was a scholar who became a murderer. Then there was Manaen. Manaen was the childhood best friend of Herod Antipas. The same Herod who had John the Baptist beheaded. Much of the Herodian family was corrupt and murderous. They were rich and powerful. The deeper meaning of the word friend in those days is closer to brother. He most likely was a Child adopted into that family. In their tradition he would have similar rights as the blood family members. Manaen was a rich kid from a corrupt family system, he was raised all wrong. But here he was worshiping. He chose change. Following Jesus is to follow a life of change but change is chosen.
Disappointment has to be one of the hardest experiences. Disappointment comes when we have invested our hearts and minds into a vision that never manifests the way we hoped. As a life long movie lover it reminds me of Star wars III: Revenge of the Sith. Now I must admit, I am not at all a Star Wars fanatic but I love a good story. Like many movie goers I watched all of the previous Star Wars movies knowing how the story would end. Anakin Walker (The cute kid in Episode I) would become Darth Vader. But while it was not a surprise ending there was something powerful about that final scene. In Episode III Obi-Wan-Kenobi sees Anakin Walker become the infamous mass murder and dark overlord Darth Vader. In that Climatic scene Obi-Wan shouts at Anakin “You were my brother!”
We all knew this was coming but it still proved to be a chilling and emotional moment for viewers. Why? Because we have all been there. Perhaps shouting “you were my friend” (mother, father, sister, husband, wife, Pastor etc.) after a relationship took a turn for the worst. Having walked away with a heavy spirit filled with disappointment and broken heart. Have you ever invested in something that took a turn for the worst? Or took a job that seemed great at the interview but disappointing in reality? The dictionary describes dissapointment as a feeling of failure. Many of us know this feeling well. I imagine thats how many of the disciples felt after Christ was crucified. He was supposed to be their King but now He was in a tomb. I’m sure much of their disappointment had to revolve around the thought,“It’s not supposed to be this way.” Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Christ proves this disappointment. In John we see her at the tomb, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” John 20:13-16 (ESV) Mary confuses Jesus for the Gardner. She had resolved that Jesus had truly died. It was over. I imagine Jesus was probably the only man to ever treat her with dignity. She was disregarded and used by men throughout her life and here was a man, a Rabbi, the Messiah who loved her. But now He was gone. Im sure she said, “it wasn't supposed to be this way”. She was so convinced that she assumed she was speaking to a gardener in the graveyard. All Jesus had to say to her was “Mary”. After inconceivable loss the Savior calls her name. Perhaps you have stood in the graveyard next to a Tomb filled with dissapointment. The savior stands behind you calling your name. You may have felt life was supposed to be different by now. God always keeps His promises even if they never looked the way you imagined. Devotion Questions:
When I woke up this morning a word that came to my mind was weary. Most recently due to work, family and church I've found myself burned out. I have become weary. Weary seems to categorize a type of tired that our physical being cannot seem to touch. Weary is so much more than a lack of sleep or coffee. I believe that weary is a soul tired and hard to be restored from. Perhaps you're reading this and you too are weary, we are in good hands. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says,
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.” (NET Bible First Edition) Prior to these words Jesus was trying to encourage a hard hearted people to change their ways. He beckoned them to follow Him but alas they appeared stubborn to the call. Sometimes in our lives we can grow weary in trying to change the world around us or even the people in our lives. When we pour out our love, time and energy into those who do not hear us we can become weary. All poured out we stand with our hands empty and souls tired. But Jesus says that His Yoke is easy. According to the NET Bible notes, “A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals like oxen or horses so that they can pull a wagon, plow, etc., together.” (NET Bible First Edition (with notes) If a Yoke is meant to be shared and Jesus says His is easy, then that means He is the one who bares it beside us. When we are weary, just need to look beside us. Jesus is beside us, He is in our hearts, surrounding us and He is the hands and feet of believers around us. May we find the rest that He promises for our souls. May we ask Him for rest now on this day. Devotion Questions:
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