Fragile: Handle with Care

I love biking. To me, biking gives me the best of both worlds. I can get some serious cardio in AND some serious worship as well. Ever tried singing "Glory to God" 15 minutes into a rigorious jog? I usually skip the "to", the "o" in "glory" is more like an elongated gasp for air, as if someone had punched me in the gut, and "God" leaves quickly from my mouth, so as to preserve my lungs from collapsing. Ok maybe it isn't that bad, but try singing and running one day, you'll soon discover lip singing is the way to go when jogging.

The cool thing about biking is how fast you can go. The fastest I have gone on bike was about 24 miles. After that my legs were identical to J-E-L-L-O (and were anything but aliiiiive). Riding yesterday though I was reminiscing on a time when I fell off my bike and nearly ripped up my knee. I looked down at the ground which wasn't far from my body at all and realize, as close as I was to it, should I fall, I would most definitely get hurt in some way. Either a decent scrape or a broken bone, should I hit the ground, it's going to hurt.

Did you know some people have broken bones by coughing? Some by sneezing? Ever noticed how little pressure it takes to twist an ankle? break an arm? pull a muscle? I remember playing street hockey in 6th grade and my ankle just rolling for a split second from a tiny shove. What resulted was 4 days on crutches and an ankle big enough to be a second person. Why do I say all this? To show you what I have learned time and time again and was realizing yesterday, we are all fragile.

The human femur snaps in half with just 500 lbs of weight on it. Mind you this is a lot, however, the femur is one of the strongest if not, the strongest bone in the body. I remember though, in high school a friend of mine got into a scuffle with a kid and ended up landing on and snapping this guys femur. The complications that insued were horrible. One of this guys lungs collapsed, he was in the hospital for months and all it really was was a school yard scuffle and a simple slip.

We are all fragile. All it takes is one slip, one fall, one sip, one smoke, one thought, one action and everything we worked for, could be gone in seconds. A pastor who spent his whole life preaching the gospel could forever taint his ministry with one affair. 25 years of service could disappear and be forgetten with one mishap.

I say this because I myself know it. All it took was one thought for me to drive off the church parking lot one afternoon to not return for another 3 years. All it took was one sip before I was loving the taste and feel of alcohol. One bad word was all it took before profanity was it's own language in my book and the best adjective was also the best verb and noun. It's no wonder James tells us to not give sin the light of day.

In James 1:13-16 he warns us of the slow yet devastating effect sin can have on our lives. How temptation gives birth to sin, and sin if left unkept can bring forth death. This isn't necessarily physical death, however, nonetheless, I have never known the word death to be anything positive, with the exception of the death of a christian (because they got to heaven).

Why else would Solomon tell us in Proverbs 4:23 to "guard our hearts!" Why else would Paul warn us to "work out our salvation" in Phil 2:12. Why else would Jude command us to "contend for the faith" in Jude 3. Timothy tells us to "flee youthful lusts" in 2 Tim 2:22. Paul tells us to not let sin "be named among us" in Ephesians 5:3. The warnings are many and yet so many times we fail to take them. Don't feel so bad, I know plenty of people who didn't either.

Look at Samson. He entertained one thought and it became the end of him. He lost everything. Check out Saul. He committed act after act against God until eventually he was no longer king. Judas. This guy manifested deceit in his heart so much so that he betrayed the one Person who would never leave him nor forsake him.

Why do I say all this. Because our lives can at times be fragile. Our walks can be fragile. Our minds, our emotions, all can be fragile. Because it is so important that we take heed to Matt 7:24-27 and build our house on the right foundation, on the "sure foundation" Isaiah speaks of in Isaiah 28:16.

Remain in the word, meditate on it day and night (1 Tim 4:12-16). Don't for a second think you can do anything on your own, even the things you are strongest in, take heed, lest you fall (1 Cor 10:12).

That's just one sense of fragile, what about the other?

Ever felt like all it takes is one word from a friend to destroy your day? Every felt like all it takes is one bad meal to make you think your diet is gone? Ever feel as though if one thing doesn't go your way, you consider all to be lost? I know I have, in fact the above questions I ask I myself have felt. We all have. In all actuallity I didnt plan on writing this blog, and I honestly had nothing scripted or planned. God laid this on my heart and I spit it out. My prayer for you if you read this now and feel as though you're kinda fragile, know this: Trials and Tribs are meant to build us up. God is our strength, He is our refuge, every tear you cry He bottles up. He renews us every morning, and is with us at our every furnace. Christ went to the ultimate furnace of utter separation from God for us. He is and will be with us through every personal furnace, and like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we will come out fine. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says we'll come out the finest of gold.

Is it going to sting, yes. Is it going to suck, yes. Will you wish you weren't there, oh yeah, just ask Job. The guy spent chapters wishing himself dead. In the end though, Job 38, God shows up and makes His ultimate power and glory known to Job. Read it today if you get a chance and find comfort knowing that the God who stops the oceans from spilling, laid the foundations of the earth, and governs all thing, is believe it or not, actively working in your life. Do as James tells us to in trials, and ask for the wisdom to know what you need to learn (James 1:5). God is faithful to answer and show you ridiculous things your brain can't even fathom (Jerm 29:13, 33:3)

For the Christian, please, take heed, stay in the word and above all else never forget who truly and deeply loves you. For the non-christian, in Christ we find true rest. No other place will you find an unconditional, always flowing, never failing, always remaining love. I pray you seek Him and if you have a question just ask me, I would love to talk with you. For the one who has fallen away, there is still hope, God isn't mad at you, sure there are consequences, but He is standing there with arms wide open. So you haven't been to church in a few, just go. Forget what the people will say, Remember what the Father already said. He is our rest.

Thanks to whoever reads this little hole in the internet I call my blog. May God move my fingers and move in my heart so that whatever is written is straight from His mouth, and may He bring a smile to your face today, because you have not been forgotten, He HAS Redeemed You (Isaiah 44:21-22).

Love you Guys :-)

One last thing...

When I got tired of running from you
I stopped right there to catch my breath
There your words they caught my ears
You said, "I miss you son. Come home"
And my sins, they watched me leave
And in my heart I so believed
The love you felt for me was more than
The love I'd wished for all this time
And when the doors were closed
I heard no I told so's
I said the words I knew you knew
Oh God, Oh God I needed you
God all this time I needed you, I needed you
- Relient K (I So Hate Consequences)