A Christ-follower with a limp: March 2020

Monday, March 30, 2020

You may be the only JESUS some people see

“When I see Jesus Christ I simply want to be what He wants me to be.”

Oswald Chambers

When the historic Church of the Open Door was in downtown Los Angeles, I read that if you stood behind the pulpit you looked out into a massive auditorium consisting of a large first floor, a large balcony, and even a second balcony. Though I’ve never been there, it’s said that it could give you a feeling of importance just to stand there and look out at the large crowd that had gathered to hear you speak. Yet, just as your ego might begin to inflate, you quickly came down to earth when you looked down at a little plaque affixed to the pulpit with the words of John 12:21, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

I haven’t preached in a lot of different places, but I’ve had the privilege of preaching in a few pulpits. In some of those I’ve looked down and seen those same words, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” It’s a humbling experience.

Can I be honest? I find preaching an enormous task and responsibility. I pray each week that Scott Carson will get out of the way and that our church will see Jesus. I find myself whispering in prayer before I enter the pulpit, “Lord, please use this as an offering for Your glory.” I wish that I could say that when people always see me, they see Jesus. But to be honest, if I was my Heavenly Father, I wouldn’t put up with me…but He does.

One of my favorite and most encouraging verses is 2 Corinthians 4:7: “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” We human beings, Imago Dei, are so frail, merely jars of clay. One little virus could end any and all of us.

The kindness, the love, the grace, the spiritual power that the world needs to see isn’t in us. It’s Jesus! It’s the power of God.

I like that analogy of jars. As jars, when we’re bumped what’s in us comes sloshing out of us. We’ve certainly seen that over the course of the last month and we shouldn’t be surprised when those who don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior – act like those who don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Often though I’m shocked and surprised at how Christians act in the midst of this crisis…and too often I’m shocked and disappointed at how I act in the midst of this crisis.

I wish I could say that I haven’t felt angry, anxious or impatient. It was nearly a gut response when someone cut me off in a parking lot the other day as they barreled down the middle. My hand was laying on the horn nearly before I knew what I was doing. I’ve claimed 1 John 1:9 too many times, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Yet, every day and several times a day, I pray, “Lord, let others see Jesus in me.”

Right now our world is very, very conscious that they don’t have the answers. They’re hoping to maybe “bend the curve” but that’s about all that they have. Like never before, they need to see Jesus. The hope is not for a cure or a government stimulus program. The only hope is the Savior because what ails our world is so much deeper than the physical. It’s spiritual and has eternal ramifications. They need to see Jesus. Let’s pray for each other that they will see Jesus in us!

There’s a magnificent story in Marie Chapian’s book, Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy. The book tells of the sufferings of the true church in Yugoslavia where so much evil was committed by the politicized ecclesiastical hierarchy. That which went on in the name of Christ for the enriching and empowering of corrupt church officials was horrible. It was professing Christians acting like anything but Jesus.

One day an evangelist by the name of Jakov arrived in a certain village. He commiserated with an elderly man named Cimmerman on the tragedies that he’d experienced and talked to him about the love of Christ. Cimmerman abruptly interrupted Jakov and told him that he wished to have nothing to do with Christianity. He reminded Jakov of the dreadful history of the church in his town, a history replete with plundering, exploiting, and indeed with killing innocent people. “My own nephew was killed by them,” he said and angrily rebuffed any effort on Jakov’s part to talk about Christ. “They wear those elaborate coats and caps and crosses,” he said, “signifying a heavenly commission, but their evil designs and lives I cannot ignore.”

Jakov, looking for an occasion to get Cimmerman to change his line of thinking, said, “Cimmerman, can I ask you a question? Suppose I were to steal your coat, put it on, and break into a bank. Suppose further that the police sighted me running in the distance but could not catch up with me. One clue, however, put them onto your track; they recognized your coat. What would you say to them if they came to your house and accused you of breaking into the bank?” “I would deny it,” said Cimmerman.

“‘Ah, but we saw your coat,’ they would say,” retorted Jakov. This analogy quite annoyed Cimmerman, who ordered Jakov to leave his home. Jakov continued to return to the village periodically just to befriend Cimmerman, encourage him, and share the love of Christ, with him.

Finally one day Cimmerman asked, “How does one become a Christian?” and Jakov taught him the simple steps of repentance for sin and of trust in the work of Jesus Christ and gently pointed him to the Shepherd of his soul. Cimmerman bent his knee on the soil with his head bowed and surrendered his life to Christ. As he rose to his feet, wiping his tears, he embraced Jakov and said, “Thank you for being in my life.” And then he pointed to the heavens and whispered, “You wear His coat very well.”

I want to do that, don’t you? “I want to wear His coat very well.” We can’t do it on our own and it can’t be worked up. It must be the Holy Spirit working out His grace through us. So, let’s surrender to Him. Let’s pray for each other in our church. And by God’s grace, let’s pray and commit together that when those who don’t know Him yet see us, they see Jesus!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Try a Little Kindness!

“A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve.”

Joseph Joubert

Okay, I’m as confused as everyone else on why there was a buying frenzy on toilet paper. Yet, I totally understand why all of the frozen pizzas, chicken nuggets, hot dogs and other easy to cook items were scooped up.

Once the announcement was made about schools being closed, many parents reacted. This was the thinking of many: “I have to go to work. My kids have to eat while I’m working. The only thing that I feel comfortable with my kids cooking is pizza or chicken nuggets and the only thing my kids will eat without me standing over them is pizza or chicken nuggets.”

It made total sense to me. We’re in the midst of a crisis. This is the Pearl Harbor of this generation. It’s unchartered territory for the whole world. It’s a time for compassion, acceptance, and boatloads of patience. We’ve never been this way before. Every step forward is new and unknown.

It’s like waiting for a hurricane. You don’t know what category it is going to be. The worst is a Category 5. Listening to the media, you’d think that this one is going to be a Category 50. You don’t know when or where it will make landfall. You don’t know what it will destroy or potentially how many it will kill, and you don’t know how long it is all going to last. So how can we show compassion in such tumultuous times?

Give others the benefit of the doubt. Imagine that I see a woman buying 10 pizzas at Walmart. It’d be easy to think that she’s selfish and hoarding. What I may not know is that she’s a single Mom with a couple of kids at home. In spite of all the isolation recommendations, she still has to go to her factory job or they’ll end up on the street.

Protagoras, the ancient Greek philosopher said, “Man is the measure of all things.” In spite of the fact that he was wrong, too many have altered his statement to: “I am the measure of all things.” We evaluate what others should do or shouldn’t do by what we do. That’s arrogant. We jump to conclusions, yet rarely have all of the facts. Our limited knowledge though doesn’t keep us from pontificating or bragging about what we’d do or even what great, kind people we are. We’re a nation of armchair quarterbacks and second guessers. The only true standard of moral right and wrong is the Bible, God’s Word. Most of our decisions are subjective ones, and with a crisis such as this, with very limited knowledge.

Clearly, it was immoral for the Chinese government to suppress the warnings of this epidemic. It barely made the news and by most has now been forgotten. Early on though, Dr. Li Wenliang contracted the virus while working at Wuhan Central Hospital. He did the right thing and what a medical professional is supposed to do and sent out a warning to fellow medics back in December. But Chinese police told him to stop “making false comments,” then pushed forward with plans for Chinese New Year. That’s immoral. Many are dying because of their evil deception.

Yet, how to now respond to this is difficult and subjective. No one, as far as I know, believes the virus can be stopped. The best hope is to slow it down so it won’t overwhelm our medical resources. Unless someone is clearly violating a moral right or wrong, because we’re all sorting through how to respond, we should graciously give others the benefit of the doubt.

Be gracious rather than oversensitive. Someone recently was a bit offended that I wouldn’t shake their hand. When we were in Taiwan two years ago, I was surprised at how many wore face masks as part of normal life. Because this is new and unknown, people are frightened and stressed. You may have noticed that people are driving more aggressively and more in a hurry than normal. More are on their phones in stores, checking in to make sure that they don’t miss something that’s needed. Or, to get suggestions on alternatives when the item they were to buy is unavailable.

Fear results in a drop in normal people skills. Clerks in the stores are tired and often have been verbally nuked by stressed-out shoppers. People are worried about their jobs and finances. Look at most people’s faces when you go out and you’ll see the strain and stress. Rather, than being self-focused, this is an opportunity for us as believers to live out Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others.”

In the midst of scaremongering, it’s time for caremongering. Scaremongering with this crisis is a huge problem. Let’s be part of turning that around. Facebook, texting, and emails are lower forms of communication when people are isolated. Harried parents with children at home need someone just to listen, not necessarily give solutions. Those who are isolated and frightened need to hear a caring, kind voice. A short five-minute conversation to touch base and see how someone is doing can make a huge difference.

Share hope, not despair. The only way to move from despair to hope is to look up, turning our focus from problems to our loving Heavenly Father. Instead of being anthropocentric, we must be theocentric. God doesn’t change. He’s already taken care of our biggest problem – sin. The One Who sent His Son, Jesus, to die in our place, and raised Him back to life by His omnipotent power, can be trusted with our future. We serve a mighty God Who is faithful.

Constant remembrance is a necessary habit for the people of God, particularly during times of distress. It’s not enough though to remember what God has done, we are to be sharers of His hope. It’s the greatest act of compassion we can give a hopeless world. We know that all those who know Jesus will get Home before dark. We must share that hope. Our friends and family members who are hopeless can have that same hope if they will trust in the only One who died to give us hope and security.

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Why Even Get Married?

“Why would I ever get married?

I’ve never met anyone with a happy marriage!”

A few days before I’d had a discussion about that oft-repeated comment when I ran into my friend, Charlie Vos, at Walmart. One of the great joys of living in a small town is that you often not only actually know your mail carrier, but you also become friends (many of our friends in this community we first met while they worked at the Post Office). Years ago, Charlie, was our mail carrier at the church and later became the mail carrier for our home on Dardis Drive. It was one of the huge highlights of the day for our then young children when Charlie delivered the mail. Always jovial, always friendly and always encouraging. Charlie was a walking ray of sunlight.

I’m sure that he has them but I’ve never seen Charlie have a bad day. He lived out the USPS unofficial motto: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” There were two things that you learned very quickly when you talked to Charlie – he adored and loved his wife, Linda, and he loved his children.

For years, even though later he was getting to an age when he probably shouldn’t still be doing it, Charlie was out installing docks in the spring and removing them in the fall as part of volunteering with the Browns Lake Aquaducks. Because his kids were involved, Charlie dove in. It was obviously a team effort with Linda. So, it wasn’t a big surprise when I ran into him and Charlie shared that he and Linda were celebrating 50 years of marital bliss in April. But I was surprised when he shared that his family went back five generations, all the way back into the 1800’s, of couples who hit their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Wow!

Are you like me? I’m very turned off by negative advertising. For instance, if a car company shares how horrible the other guy’s cars are, yet fails to share the benefits of their own vehicle, I’m not interested. I bought my first Toyota because a very satisfied Toyota owner recommended them and now I’m a satisfied Toyota customer.

I think that the Church has frequently done that when it comes to marriage. The latest un-marriages that have been in the news are the increase in polyamory and legal changes regarding polygamy in Utah. Many Christians are wringing their hands about another erosion in moral values and that it’s another sign of the end of the world.

While it is true that the biblical model of marriage is one man and one woman committed for life, yet I think that we’d gain much more ground and win a much greater hearing if we modeled “satisfied customers” in our own marriages in the Church, rather than “negative advertising” about those who abandon a biblical worldview. Maybe we need to take an honest look in the mirror…maybe it’s not them, it’s “us.”

If we believe that God is omnipotent and as He promised in 2 Corinthians 12:9, that His grace is sufficient for us, how can a Christian rationalize not seeking to biblically problem-solve marital issues? How does a Christian, one who has a new Lord in Jesus Christ, justify behaving sinfully in their marriage or by their feelings, rather than submitting to God’s instructions found in Scripture? Since the Bible commands me to look at my own heart first before I begin speck checking in my partner’s life (Mt. 7:3-5), how can I point fingers at my spouse before I first do some soul evaluation?

Most people live in one of two extremes in their marriage: fight or flight. Frequently one spouse is given to one extreme and their spouse the other. Unhappiness in marriage is usually a result of long term erosion. Yet, in light of so many passages that tell us that we are to confront sin in each other (Matt. 18:15; James 5:19-20), can we rationalize sweeping ongoing issues under the rug like so many who don’t know the Lord do? Isn’t it the sin of gossip to complain about our spouse and issues if we haven’t gone to them first? Instead of swallowing our emotions, whether hurt or anger, aren’t we instead commanded to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).

Many marriages are troubled by discontent. Yet, we’re commanded to learn to be content (Phil. 4:11). Discontent is a product of comparison. Yet, Scripture tells us that it’s unwise to compare ourselves (2 Cor. 10:12).

My point is that as Bible-believers, we have resources that those who don’t believe have. While we will never have perfect marriages, as Bible-believers we do have all of the resources and instructions that we need to have fulfilling ones. Going to heaven is dependent on my trusting God’s plan of salvation and the cross. God wants us to trust Him for this life, not just for the next. To have a “heavenly” marriage now, we don’t need more truth, rather we need to trust, apply and obey what we already know.

Sometimes even in the most loving marriage, we will reach an impasse, yet we’re brothers and sisters. Thus, we need to reach out to more spiritually mature believers who can graciously help us, who will be objective counselors and share biblical insights and wisdom (Prov. 9:9).

Some marriage issues sadly are unresolvable, yet Scripture even has an antidote for this. Romans 12:18 “ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Frequently, you’ll hear someone rationalize their sinful actions with something like, “well, if they didn’t do _____, I wouldn’t react.” God’s Word never gives us an out for sinful behavior. We’re each responsible for our actions and reactions, and will give an account someday for them.

Perfection is impossible for redeemed sinners in a sin contaminated world. We though who have a personal relationship with the God Who is love (1 Jn 4:7-8) should be the most loving and have the most loving relationships. Instead of pouring energy into culture wars, we’d be wiser (and more fulfilled) if we drew on God’s resources readily available to us to have marriages that advertise the transforming power of the Gospel.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Stop Spreading Fear

“If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer – His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable.” John Newton

Recently I learned that Cheerios causes cancer. It has to be true. I read it on Facebook. So, being the loving, sacrificial husband and father that I am – I ate all of the Cheerios in the house (Okay, I didn’t really...but I thought about it and that’s almost the same thing.)

While it’s true that Cheerios and other cereals contain a small level of glyphosate which is a known carcinogen, a direct link is unprovable. It’s estimated that the amount of glyphosate in cereal would result in one additional case of cancer in every million people over a lifetime.

Before you email me data showing me that I’m wrong, that’s not my point. My concern is the needless spreading of fear. Should we seek to eat healthier? Absolutely! Yet, because this is a fallen world everything has some level of “poison” from the food we eat, to the water we drink, to the air we breathe. But God did not call us to be the “Bubble People.”

When it comes to much of the sensationalism and panic that permeates social media and the media, I’m a skeptic. First, I rarely watch the news. When I do, I watch with a high level of skepticism. Both the media (and politicians) weaponize fear to garner attention and support. Fear sells. It’s very profitable. If you don’t believe me, try to buy hand sanitizer with the current panic about the Corona Virus.

Fear is an invader. Fear is not part of our original design. We are Imago Dei, made in the image of God. God is never afraid or anxious. There was no fear in the Garden until sin entered. After Adam and Eve fell, they hide in fear from God. In Genesis 3:10 Adam replies to God, “I heard the sound of You [God] in the garden, and I was afraid…” 2 Timothy 1:7 is the antithesis of that, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” If God didn’t give us fear, who did? It’s obvious.

To live in fear is a sin. When I was a child, I was terrified of the dark. I still remember becoming hysterical when my Mom would turn the light off in my bedroom. Often I’d wake up in the night and run to my parents’ bedroom. My Mom took me back to my bed, opened her Bible to Psalm 56:3. That promise has been with me for over five decades and still brings me great comfort: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee” (KJV).

Do I still have bouts and struggle with fear? Yes, but not as much as I used to. My Heavenly Father continually increases my depth of faith. Faith grows from being in the Word (Romans 10:17), walking with Father and seeing His hand in my life. As I choose to fight off fear and trust my Father today, it becomes easier to trust Him and live fear-free tomorrow.

For those who have committed their lives to Christ and trusting in the cross for our salvation, what do we really have to be afraid of? The very worst that can happen to us is Death. I love the Phillips rendering of 2 Corinthians 5:6-8: “We realise that being ‘at home’ in the body means that to some extent we are ‘away’ from the Lord, for we have to live by trusting Him without seeing Him. We are so sure of this that we would really rather be “away” from the body (in death) and be “at home” with the Lord.” Death is merely an entry to being Home with Jesus for all eternity!

God is grieved when we surrender to the sin of fear. The nation of Israel spent an additional 40 years wandering the wilderness because they feared giants more than they trusted the God who had rescued them from Pharaoh and slavery in Egypt. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that we can’t please God without faith. Our Heavenly Father wants us to trust Him.

That means that Christians must stop wringing their hands over viruses, elections, the economy, child abductions, etc. Yes, we need to be wise and use sanctified common sense. But our eyes must always be heavenward. As one Chinese pastor wisely said, “When you're in emergency, dial your spiritual 911- Psalm 91:1, ‘He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.’”

Times of panic are gospel opportunities. Believers like Jerry Thacker are the model for Christians. When HIV was still virtually unknown, Jerry, his wife, Sue, and their daughter, Sarah, all were infected with HIV through a blood transfusion during Sue’s delivery of their daughter. Yet, they turned what was a tragedy and a death sentence into a ministry to AIDS victims and used it to challenge the Church to minister to AIDS victims no matter how they might have contracted the disease.

No doubt, given the current pace of developments, these numbers are already out of date. The coronavirus has now spread to over 60 countries, with major outbreaks in China, South Korea, Northern Italy, and Iran. Nearly 90,000 reported cases and over 3,000 deaths. As of this week, there were over 90 confirmed cases of the virus in the United States with six deaths. According to the best numbers so far, the lethality of COVID-19 is about 2%. If that rate holds, the coronavirus would be about 10 times as lethal as the seasonal flu, and even that high of a percentage is doubtful.

It’s not surprising that those who don’t know Christ are terrified. Yet, it’s an opportunity for the people of faith to share hope, courage and truth. In the 16th century, German Christians asked Martin Luther how to respond to a crisis. In 1527, less than 200 years after the Black Death killed half of the population of Europe, the plague re-emerged in Luther’s own town of Wittenberg. In his letter “Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague,” Luther gave advice for Christians confronting infectious disease outbreaks. He argued that anyone who stands in a relationship of service to another has a vocational commitment not to flee. Those in ministry, he wrote, “must remain steadfast before the peril of death.” The sick and dying need a good shepherd who will strengthen and comfort them. Luther challenged Christians to see opportunities to minister to the sick as an opportunity to show our love for God by loving our neighbors. While Luther doesn’t encourage his readers to expose themselves recklessly to danger, he constantly straddles two competing goods: honoring the sanctity of one’s own life, and honoring the sanctity of those in need.

God is never surprised by calamity or tragedy. He is still on His throne, even using calamities, to accomplish His purposes. Christians must not panic. When times are at their worst, we believers should be at our best. And we will be when we live in the faith of knowing this world belongs to our Father, that He has it all under control and in the end, He will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Helping the Hurting

“True compassion is when you are the one who bears the burden and pays the price.” J. Budziszewski

He was self-described as a “plodder.” William Carey is known as the father of modern missions. Once he said of himself: “If He [God] give me credit for being a plodder He will describe me justly. Anything beyond that will be too much. I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.” It’s hard for us to fathom that there was great resistance to evangelizing the world in the Church in the 1790’s. In spite of extreme opposition William Carey persevered and finally overcame the resistance to missionary effort and sailed for India where God greatly used him. What most don’t know is that he carried a heavy burden for much of his ministry.

After losing their 5-year-old son, his wife, Dorothy, with her great grief, combined with physical ailments went over the brink of despair. She was considered insane and suffered from delusions. Sometimes she’d follow her husband into the streets berating him; other times she’d attack him physically. As the years passed, her condition worsened to the point that Carey confined her in a locked room. He worked on translating the Bible into local dialects in India during which according to an observer, “while an insane wife, frequently wrought up to a state of most distressing excitement, was in the next room.”

John Wesley, the renowned preacher and evangelist, was a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England and is the founder of the Methodist Church, yet he suffered through a horrible marriage. His wife, Molly, grew very antagonistic of him, wrote critical letters and spied on him. She falsely accused him of adultery and gave his enemies material with which to slander him. A friend once entered a room unannounced to find her dragging Wesley across the floor by his hair. After years of conflict, Molly finally left him to never return. In 1771, John Wesley famously wrote in his journal of her in his only comment on his marriage: “I did not forsake her, I did not dismiss her, I will not recall her.”

King David and Elijah wrestled with depression. The prophet Jonah had anger issues. Martin Luther and Charles Spurgeon, along with countless other believers have struggled with mental health issues.

All of this recently came to mind as a friend in the ministry recently shared with me that he’d given his church a glimpse into some of the struggles he and his wife had with one of their children. It was a very dark time from some years ago. Though it was so grievous for them, most of those in his church had no idea of the terrible suffering they’d endured.

Often you’ll find that’s the case. Those who appear to have it all together, carry heavy burdens no one else is aware of.

But God never intended for us to carry our heartaches alone. Galatians 6:2 commands us, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” The truth is that none us have our act together. Not even the ones who seem to have such well-ordered lives. There are heartaches in every home and heart. We all struggle with heavy loads either from our own depravity or those inherent in a sin contaminated world.

The picture in Galatians 6:2 is of a man staggering beneath a heavy load of grain. He must somehow get this grain home to his family, but is about to crumble beneath the heavy weight. A brother sees his distress and rushes to his aid, lifting a part of the burden and thereby easing the weight. Although the supportive friend doesn’t assume the whole load, his help allows the struggling one to carry it on to his destination. It’s what we’re commanded to do for each other. And it’s not optional, it’s a command. It’s what our Savior has and continues to do for us. Burden carrying is not just for those in leadership. Because of the cross we’re all family, sisters and brothers. We are all to come and help each other on our journey Home.

It will not happen without time together. You’ve probably had this experience. You’re in an urban area and a stranger approaches you and asks for some change. Or, you’re driving down the road, come to an intersection and someone is holding a sign, asking for money.

Such obvious cries for help rarely happen in the church. Why? It’s difficult to admit to others, though we all have them, that we have a need. We’re quicker to ask for prayer for an illness, but even there many hesitate.

It’s because trust takes time. You must spend time with someone before you start peeling back the masks, revealing chinks in your armor. You have to believe that someone is safe, that they won’t be judgmental or condescending if you share a struggle.

We need to first talk to the right Person after someone shares with us. We tend to be quick to offer advice. Most of us are far less knowledgeable than we think we are. The greatest needs someone has when they’ve shared a piece of their heart with us is not our words, it’s our prayer support. We don’t know all the variables, yet our Heavenly Father does. He knows exactly what’s going on, what He’s doing, and has a purpose and plan. We need to first carry their burden to Him before we attempt to help them.

The greatest need someone has when they share a burden is for us to listen. Silence can be a wonderful precious gift, yet frequently it’s too rare. Job’s friends were the most helpful to him when they sat silently listening to him as he shared his pain. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that you don’t have any answers. The greatest need is frequently someone to actually listen so we can share our pain. We need to “know” what the Apostle James urges us to “know,” “know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak” (James 1:19).

We must recognize the vast difference between temporary human opinion and God’s eternal wisdom. One would never know listening to some pontificate that there’s not a moral “ought” when it comes to matters like education, vaccines, organic or non-organic foods, or whether to put noodles in chili. The Bible is clear about problem-solving, love, kindness, and being Spirit controlled. It’s not wrong to have strong opinions but we must be discerning and know what is “opinion” and what is God’s Truth!

God created us for community. A vital part of that is caring for each other. Are you caring for others? Are you letting others care for you?