I have not been tried by fire. No, it’s the ordinary struggles of life that challenge me and wear me down, the loss and pain that we all eventually face. And I am not sure that I am very faithful, for at the first sign of trouble, I resign myself to second-class citizenship, sure that God is saving his best blessings for others.
This summer, our pastor is doing a series on lessons from Dr. Seuss. The past two summers, he has focused on parables during Ordinary Time, but this year, he says, he wanted to do something different, something to help us encounter the gospel in new ways in the hopes that we would also find new ways to live out what we believe. Plus, children’s books are awesome. Especially Dr. Seuss.
The first sermon was on my mom’s favorite Dr. Seuss, Horton Hatches the Egg. We never had a copy, but my grandma did, and I remember being at her house and my mom reading it to us, especially the famous line, “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent.” It is a very special book for me – my mom doesn’t have many favorites, so when she points something out, I pay attention. It always seemed like our own special family book, rather than one everybody knows.
The sermon focused on two things: 1 Peter’s encouragement that we remain faithful and the reminder that, like the mini-winged Horton that hatches from the egg, God often surprises our faithfulness with a triumphant twist. He said:
This is the good news: our God acted, our God is acting, and our God will act in times to come. It is the triumphant twist of the continuing revelation of God that there is indeed a reason to live faithfully, trusting not in ourselves but in the great mercy that makes us new.
It seems easier to me to believe in the triumphant twist of the gospel at Easter, when we are dressed up and singing our favorite Easter hymns. It is harder to see it when your job is on the line, when people are sick, when you feel rejected again. I would tell you that I believe in redemption, but I am not always willing to be like Horton and do the difficult work of investing in people, of being the hands and feet who take life’s hardships and help turn them into something good. Horton was sitting, it’s true, but his sitting was work rather than laziness or inaction. I can’t always say the same. And Mike will tell you that I believe a lot of wrong things about how much God cares about my everyday life.
The answers, the redemption we are given aren’t usually as obvious as the Horton/Mayzie hybrid that hatched from the egg. Nor can I claim that I will be 100% faithful to God’s call and the truth of the gospel, but I am going to try to use this summer to think about what it means to be faithful in the ordinary struggles of every day.
I am usually pretty shy about ending entries with a question, especially because it’s so sad and empty if no one answers. But I would love some feedback on these thoughts. What inspires you to persevere when you feel that life has given you a beating? And how do you live it out, whether action or patient inaction?
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for me, the knowledge of how faithful God has been, (not just to me, but to all those “great witnesses” that have come before me) and will continue to be, despite what trial may come, is definitely my cause for perseverance. though, many times, my “faithfulness” is about an convincing as a 5 year old in a temper tantrum…not so much the “patient inaction” as you so eloquently said. i loved this post, because of how raw and real it is. glad you asked us a question…very bold you are these days of late!!
I have a notebook where I have written down some of the ways I’ve seen God’s faithfulness in the past, but being reminded of his faithfulness through the people in my life is key. I need the gospel to be preached to me, daily.
“A thing resounds when it rings true…”
Your thoughts are so familiar, but you articulate them so much better than I ever could!
Right at the beginning of your post, this gripped me: “And I am not sure that I am very faithful, for at the first sign of trouble, I resign myself to second-class citizenship, sure that God is saving his best blessings for others.” So, not only does life give us a beating sometimes – when our job is on the line, someone close is sick, or rejection strikes again – WE do a pretty good job of beating ourselves, too.
Music helps me persevere – the kind of music that is full of the gospel, the kind of music that is full of grace and reminds me of hope. The kind of music that, no matter the beating, leaves you standing solid and assured of God’s goodness and mercy – even as “we ache for what is lost” and “as we wait for the Holy God.”
The following live in my Top 25 played songs on/in iTunes/my iPod:
High Noon
Hosanna
Far Country
Canaan Bound
Wings of the Morning
Ten Thousand Angels (though a recent addition)
Praise God for Andrew Peterson & friends.
First of all, let me say that I am extremely proud of you, Kari. You are a beautiful, intelligent young woman of character and faith. You are open and honest about your struggles, and you are constantly evaluating your life and trying to improve those things which fall short of what you want to be. That is admirable.
You asked some questions at the end of your post, and for me, having answers at this time in my life has proven to be challenging. However, I do think that I have gained some valuable insight not only over the years, but especially over the past three or so years. Losing your dad was extremely difficult and left me in a crisis of faith – lonely, confused, distraught. Then the ensuing “infamous” year of 2007 brought what seemed to me everything imaginable that could hit me. During that year on top of all the things that go with the “normal” (?) grieving process, I mostly felt dead inside and almost numb to the fact that all these things were happening to me. It was like, “Well, I am already down, so one more blow won’t make much difference.”
Having gone through all of that has given me a different perspective that I didn’t have before. It is way too complicated for me to elaborate on here, but, in a nutshell, I feel now that I have already experienced and am surviving (notice the present progressive) what may be the most difficult experience of my life. Anything else that life might throw at me is small stuff compared to that, and whatever it is, I will get through that too. Even though I have at times been angry with God, I haven’t felt his presence as strongly with me as I did before, and I don’t understand why all this had to happen, I cannot deny how he has taken care of me, provided for me, and blessed me. Things definitely could have been a lot worse. I feel much like Paul describes in II Cor. 4:8-9: “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us.”
So whether it is a taking a financial hit, having medical problems, something as small as an event not going like I would like, or as large as losing a loved one, I know that I can still go on. Seeing how I have survived so far helps me view any present situation through eyes that recognize how much God really does love me and takes care of me, even though it may not seem like it right at the moment. I am comforted by the words in Lamentations 3:22-24, and have found them to be tried and true: “The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.” I am still on the journey, and have a lot to learn, but I am thankful for the bits of understanding I have gained along the way.
Thank you, Kari’s mom. :hug:
[I'm a chronically depressed man in the throes of a depressive episode and have little of value to add to the conversation.]
I’m a little late to this conversation, I know. But I think my feelings are my biggest challenge. Mostly, when I feel worried or hurt or rejected, those are the hardest times for me to not only remember truth, but to then believe that it is actually truth. Feeling like I suck sometimes can get me stuck. But I am inspired as I remember the ways the Lord has been faithful in the past. And giving myself time to let the feelings settle.
I love what your mom shared.
And I hate to admit this to you, but I’ve never read that Dr. Seuss book.