It has occurred to me lately that Christians are often plagued with a very tempting, yet heretical paradigm shift in times of trouble. Let me paint you a picture:
Imagine with me that each time you go to church, each time you attend an additional Bible study throughout the week, serve on a mission trip, serve the community, donate to charity, open your Bible, join a committee, pray at night, don't do what the world does, don't watch that movie or tv show, you refrain from language or behavior the Bible frowns on, etc. your receive a shiny new quarter. You store it away in some fabulous imaginary designer bag or coin purse (mine would likely contain enough glitter to dress a cheer leading squad and flannel ...because that's just the kind of enigma I am).
UNTIL...
Times of trouble occur. This could be a spectrum of things - illness, bad news, loss of wages, loss of employment, death, divorce, heart ache, injury, the plague - you get it - times get tough, as they always will.
HARK!
You remember your dazzling coin purse, filled to the brim with shiny new coins that you earned. You take a deep breath, you insert a coin into the abyss, make your selection from the spectrum of choices (healing, peace, a raise at work, a new job, comfort, restoration, etc.) and death stare at the receptacle waiting for your earnings to payoff.This, my friends - is a problem.
Keep staring. Keep waiting. You're going to notice something happen. First, you're going to get impatient, then angry, then question what all those 'good deeds' were for.
Let me explain why:
DID YOU KNOW?Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds. See: https://www.himalayanacademy.com/readlearn/basics/nine-beliefs Spoiler alert - this is not Christianity.
DID YOU KNOW?
That the Bible refers to good works many times, BUT almost all of them are in reference to loving God's people humbly. And yes, those things will please God, and you will be rewarded, but in how and when He desires. See for yourself: http://www.openbible.info/topics/doing_good_deeds
Here's the truth. The Coke Machine God does not exist. No amount of shiny, imaginary quarters will be enough to deposit for immediate gratification - sorry. In fact, I'm not aware of a single answer to immediate gratification (other than the Cupcake ATM - that thing is gold).
Let's paint another picture:
You embark on an ever changing, ever winding road with our Creator. You seek His guidance along the way, you read His word, and out of that relationship flows the desire to seek Him more, to fellowship with His people, to serve those that don't know Him - that friends, is the Lord making His desires the desires of your heart. ("Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4) There is no check list. No attendance sheet. Just pure love that pours out of a mutual love between you and God.
This road will not be without times of trouble. You'll still encounter those moments of illness, bad news, loss of wages, loss of employment, death, divorce, heart ache, injury, the plague - BUT - because of your relationship with God and the faith you have put in Him, you'll know that as much as your situation sucks - you're okay and you're not alone. Your situation may not change overnight, it may not change at all even - but know this friends: the outcome does not reflect His ever-present, always gracious, love for you. So what do you do? If the life you live, the relationship you have with God doesn't necessarily make times of trouble go away, and it's not of value to 'cash in' on rainy days - what do you do.
I'm still digging into this myself. But here's where I am now - take it or leave it. You, in no particular order, take a deep breath, cry, pray, get angry, ask 'why?', call your mom, call your friends, vent, pray some more, THEN - remember this: it is temporary.
Yes, even the permanent changes. Because, take heart friends, this life on this earth will have seasons, but like all seasons - they come and go. And bonus - this life on this earth is a fragment of time compared to the ETERNITY we have coming. I know, cliche, but what better way to look at times of trouble than staring at it, realizing 'aint nobody got time for that, and telling it "you'll be gone soon."
Give it priority in your life and that is exactly what it will become. Put it on a shelf to reflect on from time to time and that's what you'll do. Give it completely to God - I mean plop it at the feet of the Father to handle and walk away knowing you've outsourced it to the Great Healer, Comforter, Protector - and that's exactly what will happen. He'll take care of it, He'll protect and comfort you while His ultimate will is done. Now, I'm a sensitive person - so the tiniest offense can send me tail spinning into a time of trouble - but yall, this is where I'm at - I pick myself up, dry my tears, and remind myself that it's temporary, it's minute, I'm okay and I'm not alone.
So friends, let's ceremoniously empty our imaginary coin purses (as fabulously glittery and flannelly as they may be) and embrace a relationship with God that will truly be an ever present help in trouble. Coke Machine God doesn't exist, but the God of the Universe, the Lord of lords, the King of kings does - and he LONGS for an actual, real, unfettered, unconditional relationship with you.
