How will they know lest we tell them?

                                                                           

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

Recently a friend of mine loaned me his power washer so I could thoroughly clean the exterior walls of our home in preparation for painting.  I thought I knew how to run a power washer, but the next day I discovered how much I didn't know about it's operation. If I had been there when this friend dropped it off I would have been able to hear the eyewitness account from a man who understood the operation of this equipment. There wasn't a manual that came with this equipment and consequently I grew more bewildered as I tried to understand this machine. What if I did get the users manual, but every line in the booklet was etched out in heavy black marker with the exception of the final line: 'warning, do not start the power washer unless all of the previous steps were followed!' I decided that before I operate this machine i really needed to talk to the eyewitness that loaned this equipment so I wouldn't mess it up.

Everyday, it seems, we as believers are told to put a gag over our mouths so we do not offend people who are not sympathetic to our beliefs. Christian singing groups are forbidden to sing in the public plaza's in case there is someone who is the remotest offended by the lyrics of their songs. Churches have walked away from their evangelism programs where men and woman are taught how to share their faith because people on the outside are offended by what they had to say.

How will they know, lest we tell them? The events of June 10th, 2007 have been permanently etched in the minds of our family.  Not just the sudden loss of our daughter, Maria, but the aftermath of how God came along side our family to carry us through the painful, solitary, path of grief.  I didn't realize it at the time, but the simple prayer I said in the spring of 1974 at the age of 18 would be the beginning of the Lord working in my life.  I also didn't realize it at the time that the Lord comes along side those who travel the storms of life be it the loss of a child, the loss of a job, monetary losses, etc.

How will they know lest we tell them? A death of child changes a family in ways that one cannot even imagine.  No longer do you think of self actualizing things such as climbing the economic ladder, achieving great success, or acquiring material possessions. Gone are the prayers like "Lord I pray that you will bless me with that candy apple red sports car i saw yesterday", or "please bless me by giving our family that nice home we saw the other day". Life takes on a more serious tone when a loved one dies because you realize how fragile life really is in the overall scheme of things.

In this post modern world more and more people are evolving into adults who have never stepped inside a church, have no knowledge of what Christian holidays mean, or even that the Sabbath is a day of rest. Sunday is just another day.  When tragedy strikes many do not know how to respond to those tragedies because no one has told them that 'God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives'.

As we travel through these storms we must count all of the blessings that come with those storms because it is in those storms when God will give you a platform to share the good news with those who need to hear the good news.