Broken…or Just Cracked?

by Sylvia Gaston

Are there any areas in your life that feel broken or maybe just a little cracked?

Maybe it’s a relationship that has fallen apart?  Or that ‘thing’ that has you under its control – gossip, addiction, criticism, control, apathy, laziness? Or depression? Or anxiety? The list is endless. There are so many ways that we can become broken.

Today, as some of our staff prayed for our community, my heart was squeezed tight as I thought about all the areas of brokenness that many of us face. It’s sad. It’s heart wrenching. It can destroy lives. But, it doesn’t have to define who you are and it doesn’t have to be that way forever.

We have a saying at our church. We adopted it from some author that wrote some book that many of us read some time ago and it goes like this. “It’s OK to get stuck; it’s not OK to stay that way.”

So how do I get unstuck? Where do I go to fix my brokenness, you might ask.

There is only one person who can move heaven and earth, for whom nothing is impossible. Only one person knows all and loves you more than you can imagine. That person is God.

I honestly do not know how people stay married without Jesus. (Well, more than half don’t, actually). I don’t know how people raise children without Jesus. I don’t know how people deal with siblings, finances, co-workers (not mine), death, the DMV(!) without Jesus.

Unfortunately, I have attended the funerals of both Christians and non-Christians. There is a noticeable difference between the two. When you know that the physical death of a loved one is not truly The End, there is a peace and assurance that you will one day be with them again. There is hope that often is missing from the memorial of one who did not live a life belonging to Him.

If only I had the space here to relay the countless times God has shown up and helped me when I needed it most. Prayers answered, resources provided, wisdom given, healing received and on and on. More than coincidences – supernatural interventions and divine encounters that do not occur by chance. My life is richer, I am more content, and I see Him at work in me every single day.

Don’t get me wrong…just because you choose to follow Jesus, doesn’t guarantee a pain-free, easy life.  I have encountered the struggles of parenting, the challenges of marriage, and the excruciating loss of loved ones. But, as promised in Isaiah 43:13, He will be with us through it all. And we will grow.

If you desire wisdom, comfort, purpose, and help, God offers that. If you want peace that is beyond your understanding, He offers that.

Are you in a season of brokenness or just have some cracks that need to be fixed? This Easter season, as we celebrate Jesus, God on Earth who came for us, you might want to consider turning to Him. He waits for you to do so.

“For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” - Isaiah 41:13

Who Are You Talking To?

by Sylvia Gaston

So much tragedy surrounds us – in our towns and in our country. We lost a community leader to suicide last week, there are natural disasters occurring and racial tensions all around us. You might also be experiencing a personal crisis or challenge at home, school or work.

Where do you turn when you need answers? Who are you talking to?

Usually, our first instinct is to turn to those closest to us – a spouse, a friend or co-worker. We discuss the burning issue and seek input and wisdom. But what if they have none? What if they feel as helpless as you do?

It becomes even more important to us to have answers when others look to us for direction, wisdom, and leadership. What do you say to your kids, spouse or friend when they ask you to help them make sense out of nonsense or chaos?

Who do you talk to?

You can talk to someone who cares very much about your circumstances. You can talk to someone who can provide wisdom and comfort. You can talk to the One who created you and me and this world and everything in it…God.

You may argue, “Why would I talk to God, who allows bad things to happen?”.  But, you see, God did not create our world to be like this. He created us to love and to love Him. God created us with free will and sometimes we choose wrong. To live in a world without evil and wrong would be to live in a world without personal choice. We have invited evil into the once perfect world that He created. In doing so, we live in a fallen world, east of Eden. Paradise has been lost.

But, He is still the wisdom and comfort we need. He can give us comfort and strength to make it through life’s hardships. He can give you peace in place of worry and faith in place of fear.

Jesus said, “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me.” (John 14:1)

Talk to Him. You don’t need to have the words of priests nor the vocabulary of professors. Prayer merely requires a humble heart. Prayer is a conversation with God. He knows you and is longing to hear from you – either out loud or silently. He hears you and you can hear from Him – perhaps not in an audible way but definitely in your heart and mind. You just have to start talking and listening to learn what His voice sounds like inside you.

Where to start? How about with, “Hi, God. It’s me. Here’s what is on my mind. Can you help me out?” or “God, would you please help the hurting families?” or “God, can you show me what I’m supposed to do?”.

He hears you. He loves you. And there will come a day when God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain.” (Revelation 21:3) for those who are with Him in heaven. It starts with a conversation.

Who are you talking to?

Too Comfortable

by Andrew Cromwell

Francis Schaeffer, the widely-read Christian theologian, said that there are two values that the western world has adopted. He referred to the values as “impoverished”, which is to say they are lousy. The two values are comfort and affluence.

First, let’s talk about comfort. Here’s the deal. We all like to be comfortable. It’s part of our basic human nature. Babies cry because they’re uncomfortable. They yell because they are either hungry, wet, have a stomach ache, are teething, or just want to be held. Parents scramble to do whatever they can to make baby comfortable so they shut up. As baby grows older, she becomes more sophisticated about communicating her wishes to those around her, but it’s largely the same story: the baby, now an adult, throws a fit when something’s not right in their world and keeps throwing it until it is.

We all like our comfort. We avoid people who make us uncomfortable. We buy cars that make us comfortable. We love clothes that make us comfortable, and so on. We will do whatever we can to organize our lives in such a way that discomfort is minimized. Some of us go to ridiculous lengths and spend ridiculous amounts of money in the quest for comfort.

Affluence, the second impoverished value, goes hand-in-hand with comfort. Affluence is simply the means to afford the comfort we so desire. The more affluent you are, the more power you have over your time and the more money you have to spend. Americans are pretty affluent. Even those who don’t think they are affluent, generally are vastly more affluent than the other 95% of the world.

The problem with these values is that they’re generally good things that become bad things. It’s not bad to be comfortable and to be affluent, but when these two things become major goals in life (which happens really easily) then our lives tend to be largely empty of meaning.

We could say it this way, comfort and affluence are often enemies of the truly good life. A life that is good is full of rich relationships, depth of moral character, and a meaningful legacy. These things don’t generally happen when our goal is comfort and affluence. This is because the best things in life require us moving out of our comfort zone. The best things in life require risk.

I read a story recently about a monk who lived all his life dedicated to prayer and fasting. He was so committed to God that he never married, lived in a remote monastery, had few worldly possessions and was widely respected by the community as a holy man. When the man died at a very old age, He was welcomed into heaven, but the reception he received was not what he expected. God asked him why he had removed himself from the very relationships and life situations that would cause his character to grow. He had missed countless opportunities to be refined and shaped into a better soul.

What does this have to do with comfort? Everything. The holy man had organized his life in such a way that the most difficult things in life (relationships) didn’t bother him. As a consequence, he wasted his opportunity for growth.

So where is your life too comfortable? Where are you taking the easy road that feels better in the moment so that you don’t have to have that difficult conversation, be around that difficult person, or generally not be inconvenienced with someone else’s drama? Perhaps these are the very areas that God has put in your life to provide you with an opportunity to grow and change (and be a blessing to others to boot)!

Andrew Cromwell is the executive pastor at Koinonia Church in Hanford. E-mail him at andrew@kchanford.com or call 582-1528.