Consider It Pure Joy

Let me open us in Prayer…

We’re kicking off a teaching series this month that revolves around James 1 and in particular verses 2-5 which states…

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds,

because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.
James 1:2-5

So this is a difficult topic. If I were to ask my non-Christian friends the #1 reason why they don’t come to church or believe in God or if I were to ask friends who used to come to church but no longer do, the #1 reason would be how could a loving God allow so much suffering. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters WHENEVER you face trials. Not if ever. Whenever. There is no ambiguity about what this life has in store of us. John 16:33 states that

In this world you will have trouble.
John 16:33

Again, it’s a promise and every single person in this room – whether we like it or not. Whether we’re aware of it or not – is either in crisis, has just been through crisis or is about to enter into crisis.

We don’t like to hear this. What we want to hear is that once we surrender our lives to Christ we are destined to live a life of comfort. Many of us believe this to be the case and when this doesn’t happen – when our marriages end, or we get the cancer diagnosis or we lose our jobs, or don’t get into the college we want or our friends betray us – we are convinced we were sold a bill of goods and we walk away from God or we never enter into the relationship in the first place.

But is this line of thinking consistent with what we read in scripture? Or when we study this book, when we examine the life Jesus lived and the lives of the disciples, the people closest to Jesus, do we discover that none of them lived a life of comfort. Most of them died terrible deaths. Suffered immensely.

James was beheaded
Andrew and Peter were crucified upside down
Bartholomew was skinned alive and beheaded
Thomas was impaled
And we know what happened to Jesus.

Jesus and his inner circle lived difficult lives and suffered terrible deaths. I’ve been meditating on this a lot lately. If I’m a Christian and claim that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, does it really make sense to expect and at times demand to live a better, easier life than my King? Do we ever see that in history where a king’s subjects live a better, more comfortable, more privileged life than the King himself? Or…could it be that Jesus didn’t come here to earth to provide us with a life of comfort and to eliminate our suffering, but that WHEN we suffer (not if, WHEN we suffer) we can be like him.

About11 months ago on the morning of June 25th our family received a phone call that would change our lives forever. A phone call that as a parent you hope never to get. A phone call that would drastically change the life of our son Landon and our entire family, my wife and me and all 4 of our kids. And it happened in the blink of an eye. Landon was playing a game with some friends that morning and there was an incident and he sustained a life changing spinal cord injury which left our once able bodied, son a quadriplegic, suddenly without function of his hands and feet and legs. I will remember every moment of that morning – every single detail so vividly down to the way the sun was shining through our bedroom window. My oldest son Luke came running into our room and said mom’s on the phone. Landon’s been hurt and can’t move.

It turns out he shattered his C4/5 vertebrae and what transpired over the next 24 hours, the swings in emotions. I recall at times struggling to catch my breath. Gasping for air. Physically not being able to breath. Landon was rushed into emergency surgery. His vertebrae were removed and a cage was built around his neck to hold up and stabilize his head. After the injury Landon couldn’t breathe on his own. He was intubated, placed on a ventilator, had a feeding tube inserted and we weren’t sure if he’d make it through the night let alone ever get out of bed.

[INSERT PICTURE OF LANDON ON HOSPITAL BED]

The last time I saw him before the accident, which was 2 days earlier, he had just run a high school track meet. I gave him a hug and I recalled thinking to myself he’s bigger and stronger and taller than I’ve ever been in my life. I stopped short of better looking – because I’m holding on to that one regardless if it’s true or not.

The next time I saw him he was lying in a hospital bed having just been taken out of the ambulance. I remember I hugged him. I was sobbing and I’ll never forget the words that came out of his mouth.

“It’s going to be ok dad. God’s got a plan.”

A good friend of mine Wendy Hagen who actually spoke here at Blue Oaks several weeks ago, told me once that when we face suffering. When this world squeezes us, it’s those times that we really get to see and know what’s inside of us. What we are made of. I’ve never seen God’s face, but I certainly saw God shining through Landon many times that day and in the weeks and months since then.

For the first two weeks Landon couldn’t move, but he also couldn’t speak or communicate. He was literally trapped in a body that no longer worked, with no ability to express any thoughts, fears, emotions. We came up with a system where we would point to a letter and Landon would nod. It took minutes to script out a single word.

[INSERT PICTURE OF SPELLING CHART]

But after two weeks and a tracheotomy he spoke his first words which I recorded. And the first words out of his mouth were words of thanksgiving.

[INSERT VIDEO OF LANDON]

That was 11 months ago. What’s transpired since has been best described as a rollercoaster to say the least. Incredible ups and downs. Countless surgeries. Months in the ICU and rehab hospitals in California and Colorado. Our family was apart in different states for most of those 3 months. We have 3 other kids and all three of them were forced to grow up quickly and take care of themselves for extended periods of time. Forced to lean on each other and on the Lord and this church community which was amazing. I wish I could personally and individually thank each one of you. There were countless sleepless nights. Times of just weeping sometimes uncontrollably at the side of the bed with Landon. I could go on and on…

Our family is not unique in experiencing suffering and heartache and loss. This message is NOT about us. You don’t need to have your son paralyzed to internalize the fact that in this world you WILL find trouble. In a room this size I know there are many that are facing health issues, relationship issues, the loss of a friend or loved one. Marriages difficulties, the loss of a job. For me, I’m part of this group. I’ve cried more in the last year than my entire life leading up to that morning. I’ve never felt more helpless and inadequate in my life.

BUT here’s the crazy thing… I’ve been a Christian for almost 30 years now and despite what we’re going through my faith is unequivocally stronger today than ever before. My awareness of the presence of the living God is greater today than at any other point in my life. And this is not putting on rose colored glasses. This has been the hardest year of my life by a factor of 1000.

But I’m just telling you despite at times finding myself on my hands and knees weeping sometimes uncontrollably, despite watching my son who I love more than life itself battle to complete tasks that a year ago he never thought twice about, despite the many sleepless nights where I feel compelled to go downstairs at 2am to make sure Landon’s still breathing – despite all of this and so much more I KNOW I’m loved and cared for more at this moment right now more than at any other moment in the 50 years I’ve been on this planet. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE????

There is a second part to John 16 –

In this world you will have trouble, BUT take heart because I have overcome this world.
John 16:33

God is a lot of things. And he’s revealed different parts of himself to me during different seasons. In this particular season he’s reminding me that he is a God of Comfort and Sustenance. I’ve been doing a lot of journaling this past year as I looked back on my notes, most of what God has revealed to me during this time revolve around 3 primary truths. The best I can describe it, if there has been an escape route paved by God that has led me through the grasp of despair during this challenging time it has been these three things.

God Understands
God is all knowing and I am not
God is always with me

God Understands… And we should never ever underestimate the comforting power of understanding. And God is the only one who does. Who really does. And he not only understands, but he’s been through it as well… Draw on your own experiences. The difficult times you’ve faced. Isn’t it true that there is something so comforting about being understood. Having your feelings and experiences validated by someone. Landon has told me on a few occasions you don’t understand dad. You don’t know what it’s like to have a broken body that doesn’t work. To be 16 years old and stuck in a chair – You know he’s right. I don’t understand. As much as I try to and even long to. I can’t possibly understand what my son is experiencing right now. BUT here’s the thing…GOD DOES, intimately, personally, at a level only the creator of the universe who knit Landon’s body together can. God also knows first hand what it’s like to have a broken body. He’s experienced it himself on the cross.

On the flip side, I often feel like Landon couldn’t possibly understand what it’s like to watch your son struggle. To have his body broken. To wish more than anything that it was you in that chair. To watch your own flesh and blood – someone that you love and care for more than yourself – have to endure such struggle. And he can’t possibly understand this. BUT here’s the thing… GOD DOES. God knows first hand what it’s like to watch his son struggle, to have his body broken. Luke 9:22 says

The Son of Man must suffer many things.
Luke 9:22

And he did.

There is this concept of the “wounded healer” that has been playing over and over in my mind. It’s actually a book written by Henri Nouwen. The idea is that no one can help the broken hearted more than someone who has experienced what the broken hearted are going through. Who best to help those battling drug addiction than someone who’s gone through it. We talk a lot in our family about the fact that God NEVER wastes a hurt. We can. But he doesn’t. God can use the suffering in our lives to bless others if we allow Him to. And there is no one who encapsulates the Wounded Healer more or better than Jesus. Hebrews 4:15 states

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced ALL of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
Hebrews 4:15

Not some of our testings. ALL of them.

God Understands more than anyone.

God is all knowing and I am not… God is all knowing and I am not. Need to internalize both parts! This one requires some humility on our part. Isaiah 55:9

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:9

I don’t know exactly how high the heavens are relative to the earth but I know it’s great distance. As high as the heavens are to the earth…is how much higher God’s thoughts, perspective, insights, methods, understanding is relative to ours. What we see and comprehend is a mere fraction of a fraction of all that God does.

I heard a pastor decades ago share a story about taking his son to the dentist office and it stuck with me. His son needed a root canal and asked if his dad could be in the room, which the dentist agreed would be ok as long as he stayed in the corner of the room and didn’t interfere. The dentist started the procedure and the son was instantly in a lot of pain. He started crying and wincing and groaning in pain. Within a few seconds he looked over at his father in the corner of the room, stared him directly in the eye and cried out to him for help. “Dad, Dad, Dad. Help Me! Help Me!!” The father looked back at his son. The father was visibly in anguish as well, knowing he could save his son from the pain by stopping the procedure and taking his son away. But in his son’s time of need, he chose to do nothing, armed with a perspective that the son didn’t have, which was that this temporary discomfort would ultimately lead to greater healing.

It’s a simple illustration, but how many times in our lives have we prayed prayers that a few years later we’re so glad God never answered. Or answered in a different way than we originally hoped? How much more perspective do our older selves have relative to our younger selves. If we can have more clarity in 10-20-30 years. Is it possible that the God of the universe – the Creator of heaven and earth also has a perspective that our human minds just can’t comprehend. Suffering doesn’t originate from God, but is it possible that there is a reason and purpose behind Him allowing us to face it, one that our finite minds can’t possibly comprehend.

As high as the heavens are above the earth, so are my ways above yours.

I heard once that God answers all of our prayers. He answers all of the prayers we would have asked, if we possessed all the knowledge and insights that He does. If we knew all the connections, ramifications both current and future, not just tomorrow but milleniums from now.

Could there be a purpose to our suffering that goes beyond our understanding? God is all knowing and I am not.

God is Always With Me…

I was listening to Christian radio years ago and the radio hosts were discussing the presence of God and a listener called in and shared a story that I will never forget as long as I live. It was a story of a father trying to save his son from a burning two story house. The family woke up in the middle of the night to a smoke alarm. By the time they woke up the fire was blazing. The Dad and his wife immediately ran to grab their three kids in their rooms and ran out of the house. When they got outside they realized that only two of their kids were with them but they were missing their youngest son who shared a bedroom with his middle brother. They were frantic and looked up and heard screaming out of the window in the second story bedroom and realized their youngest son was trapped upstairs. Smoke was billowing out of the window and the fire was blocking his exit. Fire department hadn’t arrived yet. His only hope of survival was to lower himself out of the second story bedroom window. The son started to do that and at one point was dangling out of the window but refused to let go. The father was pleading to his son to drop but he refused. “I’m here son, let go. I’ll catch you.” To which the son replied “I can’t dad. I can’t”. After 30 seconds which seemed like hours the father finally asked “why son?!! Why not?!!” The son replied, hanging on for dear life, “Because dad. I can’t see you!”

I can’t let go. I can’t completely trust and surrender because I can’t see you!! HOW MANY OF US CAN RELATE???

And you can imagine this scene. Son hanging on for dear life, seeing only his window and the fire and nothing else. You know what the Father’s response was? “It’s ok son BECAUSE I CAN SEE YOU!!!

God SEES us even if we don’t see him. His eyes are locked on us and He is ALWAYS with us. And we can draw immense comfort knowing that. Job 23:9-10 –

When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.

But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
Job 23:9-10

God’s presence in our lives is undisputable. It’s as certain as the air we breathe. And it happened on the cross.

On the cross do you know what was happening? I’ve read about it. I could recite passages, I’ve memorized verses, but it took this experience for me to start actually internalizing it and I’m just starting to do so. Just starting to scratch the surface after 30 years of calling myself a Christian.

On the cross All the greatest forces of evil were coming down on Jesus. And he could have stopped it. Stopped the rejection, the pain, the suffering, the abandonment. All he had to do was give up on us. Just walk away. Jesus Christ was up on the cross, suffering, bleeding, dying, looking down at the people betraying him and forsaking him and denying him and in the greatest act of love in the history of the universe he stayed.

I heard once that the FIRST and GREATEST act of love is being present.
JESUS STAYED.

All the forces of the enemy were raining down on him trying to get him to drop us. And even hell itself couldn’t do it. Nothing could separate him from us. He held on to us. He died for us. Now that’s how we know. That’s how we are “CONVINCED”. Romans 8:38 says we are

convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,

neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39

If he didn’t abandon us then when all hell was raining down on him, there is no way he will abandon us now. Whether we’re struggling in our marriages or at work or with our relationships or tying to make ends meet. Whether we’re 16 years old struggling in the morning because we can no longer put our shirt on or brush our teeth without help. Fighting the daily battle with our pride and pushing forward because God created us to be a warrior and on a battlefield that may look so much different than the one we saw for ourselves. And doing it not for ourselves but for HIM and HIS kingdom and HIS CHURCH. Being the leader and the example that God called us to be. That’s how we know. He spared not himself. The Father spared not his own Son out of love for you and for me. This is the love we’ve been looking for all of our lives. And it’s here in Christ. And it’s precisely THIS LOVE that brings us peace and comfort beyond all understanding.

I was reading Romans 5:3-5 which says:

We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

perseverance builds character; and through character, hope
Romans 5:3-5

and something occurred to me. Read this passage many times, but just recently realized something. For so much of my life I’ve tried to eliminate suffering. Completely eradicate it from my life. Then more recently I’ve come to the conclusion that Hope and suffering can actually co-exist. It’s possible to suffer but also have tremendous hope. Hope and suffering are not mutually exclusive. But mediating on this passage what I’m now realizing is that it’s more than that. It’s more than the fact that hope and suffering can co-exist. What this passage says is that hope at times actually originates from suffering. Hope is born out of suffering, it’s forged out of the ashes of difficult times.

In the hospital in Colorado our room had an amazing view and I spent hours looking out of that window.

[INSERT PICTURE OF CLOUDS]

And about 6 weeks after Landon’s injury I noticed something. I noticed that the sun seemed to be shining brighter than I ever remembered before. It was really weird. Other strange things started happening too. Taking a sip of water was sweeter. Inhaling a breath of fresh air was more invigorating. Simple things that I wouldn’t notice before suddenly presented themselves as miracles. The feeling of warmth. Being able to brush my teeth. Having a conversation with my son. Even something as simple as a laugh or a smile. I’ll never take those things for granted again.

[INSERT PICTURE OF LANDON SMILING]

Occasionally during the day Landon would take naps by that same window. And depending on the time of day the sun would shine through just enough to reach part of the bed.

[INSERT PICTURE OF LANDON SLEEPING]

And I would sit by his bed and pray over him and thank God for his life.

What really brought it home for me was of all things a tree. There was a little garden on the hospital property grounds. One of the first times Landon made it out of the hospital we went to this garden.

[INSERT PICTURE OF LANDON IN SUNGLASSES]

There was a tree there with a bench under it that we sat on that day and many days after that. I never noticed the tree until our last few weeks there. I was always looking out from the bench.

[INSERT PICTURES OF PARK BENCH]

One day I laid back on that bench and looked up and saw this amazing tree with all of its branches and leaves. Marveling at its beauty. It was spectacular. That tree was a miracle. A gift from God that I somehow missed for so long. It was always there I just never noticed it. It wasn’t until I took a moment. Laid down. Changed my perspective that this amazing beauty was revealed.

[INSERT PICTURE OF TREE]

This was October 12th, 3 days before we came home.

Suffering is difficult. I don’t want to minimize this. Suffering is inevitable in this life. But suffering can be the catalyst that prompts us to reset. Refocus. Lean in to our relationship with God and others if we allow it to.

There is no light without darkness. There is no hope without suffering. And the catalyst that enables this transformation is Christ, who not only understands our suffering, but endured greater suffering than we could ever know out of love for us in order to bring us home if we allow him to.

Let’s pray…