Reflections from the Home Team – February 29, 2020
Sharon’s wisdom and life experience were very powerful for me and her final thought has found a permanent place in my heart and mind...
"God’s Word is more powerful than any of our circumstances”.
Greetings from Cedar Falls,
I have just returned from a wonderful week in Florida enjoying some time spent with friends, fishing and of course, Braves baseball. The time spent with friends this past week reminded me that we are creatures who live by our stories (even though they may be a bit embellished at times). I am currently reading a book titled The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith and it points out that from early on we are all told stories by our parents, which help us interpret how life is or how life ought to be.
While sitting at the airport in Ft. Myers waiting for my flight out earlier this week, I kept thinking about a conversation I had with Sharon, an 80 something three-time cancer survivor at the Braves game last Sunday. She is also a retired teacher, so we had some common experiences and “stories” to talk about. (She didn’t care much for her principal). That certainly made for some interesting conversation. Her story reminded me that we are truly shaped by our stories as they become embedded in our minds and are shared with others. As Smith points out in his book, “Human beings are community dwellers and just as the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) live in community, so also, we who are made in God’s image are meant to live and love in community.” Kind of reminds me of my “Home Team!”
When the cancer topic came up in our conversation, I asked Sharon how difficult it was for her to “win” the battle, not just once, but three times…
She shared feeling overwhelmed is a real thing, and she has encountered it many times in her 80+ years. It is not a vague idea or one that some people somewhere out there wrestle with. It’s right here, right now... and we all face the struggle of feeling overwhelmed in some way at some time. Sharon shared she often felt being overwhelmed in the early days of women’s athletics when she was a first baseman on her high school women’s softball team. She also shared she is a die-hard Detroit Tigers fan and that has had its frustrations in recent years... (Although she had a big smile at days end as the Tigers handled my Braves on Sunday).
Sharon told me she has grown in her faith over the years and that God’s Word has had much to say about those moments, seasons and years we walk through when it feels like we can’t take one more thing. She said she has found there is often peace waiting for you on the other side of your struggles if you just remember your purpose. Sharon shared her “go to” verse when feeling overwhelmed is 1 Corinthians 10:31.
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
She shared she definitely grew up in a different era...In today’s culture she said our lives can often be seen and shared more than ever before. With one photo we can portray our lives as perfect or give the illusion of the ultimate experience. It wasn’t that way necessarily in her day. On the other extreme we can air our dirty laundry and enter into conversations that steal joy and overwhelm our minds.
She said when we remember our ultimate purpose in life is to glorify God, we will set aside the desire to be seen and the comparisons to be known. We will stay quiet when God says to stay quiet and we will speak truth in love when God says to speak.
Sharon thought the best way to avoid the “overwhelming” feeling of being accepted or finding purpose in this life is simply by doing everything for God’s glory, not our own, a very simple formula I guess. She shared feeling overwhelmed isn’t anything new for her and it most likely isn’t going away anytime soon. It is a “tool of the enemy“ to get us distracted from the missions in our lives.
Sharon’s wisdom and life experience were very powerful for me and her final thought has found a permanent place in my heart and mind...”God’s Word is more powerful than any of our circumstances”.
Funny how life circumstances can bring folks together in community to grow and learn from one another. Sharon’s story reminded me once again how each of our stories can touch many areas and many levels of our lives. As we share our struggles and discoveries, be sure to take time to celebrate the ways in which we can enrich each other’s lives.
When the cancer topic came up in our conversation, I asked Sharon how difficult it was for her to “win” the battle, not just once, but three times…
She shared feeling overwhelmed is a real thing, and she has encountered it many times in her 80+ years. It is not a vague idea or one that some people somewhere out there wrestle with. It’s right here, right now... and we all face the struggle of feeling overwhelmed in some way at some time. Sharon shared she often felt being overwhelmed in the early days of women’s athletics when she was a first baseman on her high school women’s softball team. She also shared she is a die-hard Detroit Tigers fan and that has had its frustrations in recent years... (Although she had a big smile at days end as the Tigers handled my Braves on Sunday).
Sharon told me she has grown in her faith over the years and that God’s Word has had much to say about those moments, seasons and years we walk through when it feels like we can’t take one more thing. She said she has found there is often peace waiting for you on the other side of your struggles if you just remember your purpose. Sharon shared her “go to” verse when feeling overwhelmed is 1 Corinthians 10:31.
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
She shared she definitely grew up in a different era...In today’s culture she said our lives can often be seen and shared more than ever before. With one photo we can portray our lives as perfect or give the illusion of the ultimate experience. It wasn’t that way necessarily in her day. On the other extreme we can air our dirty laundry and enter into conversations that steal joy and overwhelm our minds.
She said when we remember our ultimate purpose in life is to glorify God, we will set aside the desire to be seen and the comparisons to be known. We will stay quiet when God says to stay quiet and we will speak truth in love when God says to speak.
Sharon thought the best way to avoid the “overwhelming” feeling of being accepted or finding purpose in this life is simply by doing everything for God’s glory, not our own, a very simple formula I guess. She shared feeling overwhelmed isn’t anything new for her and it most likely isn’t going away anytime soon. It is a “tool of the enemy“ to get us distracted from the missions in our lives.
Sharon’s wisdom and life experience were very powerful for me and her final thought has found a permanent place in my heart and mind...”God’s Word is more powerful than any of our circumstances”.
Funny how life circumstances can bring folks together in community to grow and learn from one another. Sharon’s story reminded me once again how each of our stories can touch many areas and many levels of our lives. As we share our struggles and discoveries, be sure to take time to celebrate the ways in which we can enrich each other’s lives.
As Ella Fitzgerald once sang, “into each life some rain must fall.” And while we can’t control just how much it rains; we can make a decision – let ourselves get wet or break out the umbrella. The rain, of course, refers to the challenging times that we all face – medical diagnosis, job loss, even just navigating the teen years as a parent. And, while it may not seem like it at first, something positive can come from those experiences.
We have a choice in how we respond to difficult times. We can shut down emotionally and let ourselves become hardened by it, or we can grow from the experience. I continue to remind myself that in all Jesus’ stories, He describes a God who is altogether good and is always out for our good, even if we can’t understand why it may be “raining” in our lives at any particular time. As James Bryan Smith shares, “We should expect to go through heartache and pain, suffering and loss, because they are part of what it means to be human, and they can be useful in our development.”
As James 1:2-4 says, “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Wishing each of you a joyful time of peace and community as you share your stories and life experiences for the benefit of others.
Blessings your way!
Dave
Are you or someone you know fighting cancer... struggling with the physical, emotional and spiritual issues that accompany a cancer journey or other serious health issue? Making ourselves available to others can open up the doors of opportunity for deeper relationships, healing, and transformation. For many, time is one of the most valuable commodities in today's fast-paced world. Sharing time with others is a wonderful gift. It says, "Here I am... for you. To listen, to care, to serve." The power of presence should never be underestimated!
Be an encourager in someone else’s life!
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