Anguish and joy

Anguish and joy

‘AWord from the Pastor’ By Clayton Adams

My friend isn't exactly the classic traditional churchgoing man. His long gray hair pulled back in a ponytail, a rough exterior hiding a soft and gentle heart. Sometimes a word or two from a previous life slips into his vocabulary, still at other times he may revert back to old habits – these don't bother me. He has leathery hands from years of construction work, wears cowboy boots and jeans and does his best to wear a tie to church Sunday mornings, sometimes his tie matches sometimes it doesn't, just like me, sometimes I match, sometimes I don't.

God does use extremely tragic events to bring people to Him. Perhaps you have found this to be true in your life. For instance, God used loneliness to get Moses attention. He used starvation and death to get Ruth's attention. The great prophet Elijah was threatened and God used those threats to get Elijah's attention. God used a brain tumor to gain the attention of my friend.

The first Bible verses he memorized is Psalm 23 – he stood up in church and quoted it word for word and the congregation applauded – recognizing his effort. He changed over the years his masculine humanity often on display but so was God's grace on display in his life, changing his heart on the inside.

My friend once wrote; “I am thinking about quitting church, I am so disappointed in people I thought were the greatest.” What a heartbreaking lesson to learn.

This lesson is so simple its core theme is easily ignored or unnoticed but after the lesson and its consequences have been delivered it is never forgotten. What lesson you ask? When you take your eyes and attention off Christ and focus on people, you will always be disappointed – always. People will fail and falter especially in a church.

Christ is the One who saves. Christ is the One who sacrificed His Glory in heaven to come to earth to die for you and for me. He paid the price for our sin so that we would not have to pay the price.

I can tell you with surety that when you are disappointed with Christ it is because you have a misunderstanding of who Christ is, His nature and His love for you and somewhere along life's journey you lost focus on who saved you.

I often hear how terrible God is for allowing sickness, death and natural disasters in our lives. While these thoughts and criticisms are understandable and very human they come from a misunderstanding of who God is and how He works in our lives. More important than your comfort in this life is your eternal destination with Christ.

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) God is patient and desires for all to come to Him.

Our destination is promised and will be delivered. We'll be in heaven not because of what we do but because of Who we ask to forgive us of our sins Jesus The Christ.

Three days after my friend wrote he wanted to “quit church” he wrote something else, “God spoke to me and told me to support my church.” I am so glad God spoke to him and that my friend listened.

My life is enriched and blessed because of my friend. Neither of us are perfect? I need him more than he needs me. I pray God sends more men like this into every church. Men, like my friend who might be a little rough, a little redneckie (If I may use that term with affection) full of life, humble, forgiving of others, grateful, merciful and gracious towards others because these gifts are what they receive from Christ.

God does answer our prayers and sometimes His answer comes in the form of a man who has long gray hair pulled back in a ponytail, leathery hands, wearing cowboy boots and whose fat fingers can't always hit the right buttons on a cell phone, a very untraditional church going man who makes traditional church more Christ-like.

Life is composed of anguish and joy but for those who follow Christ, eternity is absent of anguish and joy is overwhelming. Endure the anguish for joy is coming soon!

Clayton Adams, Earle, AR email: cpalaa@yahoo.com