I received a letter not long ago from a prisoner who is serving six life sentences. He told me that he is “born again in Christ Jesus” and has been using his time behind bars to grow in God’s word and develop his faith. He went on to say that being slammed down 24/7 most of the time allows him to better focus on such things.
Then he wrote: “It is one thing to be isolated in a prison cell, but it’s a whole other thing to be isolated in a prison cell with a Bible”.
Having been locked down in isolation myself I can tell you it is no picnic and many prisoners are driven batty by the loneliness of the situation, but this guy uses that time to draw closer to God.
Then he said: “Occasionally a few Christian brothers can get together on the yard and I tell them this is “Love University”. God wouldn’t drop us in a bucket of love to teach us how to love. We are surrounded by lost tortured souls traveling every direction except love, and we hone our skills here to get our PHD in love“.
Wow…
A friend came by my office the other day and he told me that he is experiencing some financial difficulty with his business and he shared that his wife is really worried. He knew from reading my book that I had experienced financial difficulty in times past and wanted to know if my wife was worried. I told him that I do not remember her being worried. She has always had faith in God and in my ability to provide for our family and we both have always clung to our belief that, “Something will turn up; it always does”. This is not to say that she was overjoyed at the fact that we might lose our home because I was having problems paying our mortgage, but it is to say that she felt that we would be fine whatever happened. It is reminiscent of hitting your thumb with a hammer. You know it will eventually quit hurting, but when you hit it – it hurts.
I told my friend that Jesus warned about worry more than anyone else in the Bible. He said it was a sin and a useless one at that. He used the example of our not being capable of increasing our stature by even adding one inch to it, and if we couldn’t do such an insignificant thing as that, how could we expect worry to change important things. I believe Jesus spent so much time preaching about this subject because it is insulting to God for us to worry, because it is an affirmation that we doubt Him. If we truly believe that good things happen to those who love the Lord, how can we doubt? It is a question of faith and trusting God to provide for us.
I suggest that we take a page out of the aforementioned “lifer’s” mantra and not question our circumstance. He viewed being in prison as a means to an end. I view hard times identically. It is not a bucket of love that the prisoner has been placed in; it is a bucket of tortured, bitter, hardened men (who are ripe to receive the love of Christ) and if he can learn how to love and convince these cons to love and give Christ a try he is deserving of a “PHD in love”. This inmate views his situation as an opportunity to better serve God.
What if my friend viewed his financial problems in the same light as the prisoner? He might ask himself: What is God trying to teach me with this life experience of financial turmoil? Possibly the lesson is how to budget better; show restraint in making purchases; draw closer to God; make a career change more in line with God’s purpose for his life; the possibilities are many.
It is a question of attitude and how we view our situation.
I was talking with some of our employees about our upcoming FCA banquet next week and several told me they were getting nervous about conducting such a large event at Honey Lake; what if it rained and lightning hit and the power went off; what if the septic system failed; what if the chef had a car crash coming to work….
Dang what if we get hit by a nuclear bomb or we get the bubonic plague???? Com’on!
I was really surprised about their apprehension, because I’m not uneasy at all. In fact just the opposite; I told them I’m very excited and looking forward to it with great anticipation. I related that whenever 500 or 600 people gather together in order to glorify God and further His work, good things are bound to happen. I told them not to worry, everything would be fine. Enjoy the event; don’t dread it.
Not to worry; not to worry; not to worry!
Geez Louise – Let’s chill out some and trust in our Father. Sit back and take pleasure in the ride. We are in good hands. Our Father loves us with an incomprehensible love and even the very hairs are numbered on our heads. He knows everything about us; He created us for His purpose and has endowed us with every skill and attribute necessary to accomplish it. God has given us the intelligence, the looks, the ability, and we can draw upon His strength to accomplish everything He wants us to accomplish. There is no reason to worry. Everything will proceed as planned and God is in charge of our lives, this country, and yes even Obama and his minions.
The next time you are prone to worry because of a sticky situation that you might find yourself in, consider that we will not get dropped into a bucket of love every time because we need to be dropped into a bucket of swill on occasion in order to get our PHD in God’s love. We must take the good with the bad and remain optimistic through it all by maintaining an ever increasing faith in God, every moment of every day that He allows us to breathe.
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!
Phil. 4:6
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.