The Waiting Room of Caring

 

Monday, June 19, 2023

Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again.  We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us.  After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns?  It is you!  Yes, you are our pride and joy.  Finally, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to stay alone in Athens, and we sent Timothy to visit you.  He is our brother and God’s co-worker in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith, and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going through.  But you know that we are destined for such troubles.  Even while we were with you, we warned you that troubles would soon come—and they did, as you well know.  That is why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong. I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you and that our work had been useless.  1 Thessalonians 2:17 – 3:5

To imagine Paul (in the least bit) cold towards the church at Thessalonica, is to misread the Apostle entirely; he loved them so much he could not bear the thought they might be straying from God’s loving presence.  His passion for their well-being, and their faith was hot to the touch.  He loved them as a mother or father loves a newborn child.  As such, Paul was protective and anxious over how they were doing.  He got to the point of not being able to stand not hearing from them.  We might miss some of the pathos here; there’s a big difference in culture of the mid-first century and the twenty-first century.  They didn’t have video-calling in Paul’s day.  Letters sometimes took months to travel the 311 miles from Thessalonica to Athens.  The words, Instant and Communication, were never linked back then.  Drop a letter in the courier’s pouch; sit-back and bite your nails.

When you care about people it’s gut-wrenching to watch their suffering… especially when you can’t do anything to help.  I’ve stood with my bride, and both of my daughters when they were in labor, getting ready to give birth; they were really ready!  I’ve waited on committees deliberating on my future as a pastor.  I’ve waited on news about a son in a war zone.  I have waited on-edge an eternity of a weekend, for the result of a blood test the doctor ordered, after telling me the strange rash on my neck was only found in one of two scenarios:  people of Chinese heritage, and someone with AIDS.  Waiting like that is excruciating torture!  The only companion to that kind of waiting room suffering is what goes on in the viewing room; there are no words, only sharing in pain.

The very thought that the church at Thessalonica, Paul’s pride and joy, was in trouble, was cause enough to send Timothy to check on them and bring back news quickly.  Paul was that church’s birth-father; he’d started them on the path of following Jesus, and their well-being was everything to him.

Now, in case you’re wondering where I’m going with this, I’ve just described a true pastor’s-heart for his people.  And I can share with you from the past 40-plus years of being a pastor, it’s much like a true father’s-heart for his family.

For You Today 

Father’s Day is yesterday’s news, but my prayer for you is that you took yesterday to fully-engage the connection between earthly and Heavenly fatherhood.  There’s not much of a dividing line between the two.  What God is to all of us, the source of our heritage and living, HE wants all of us to be THAT to our families.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:   Adversary  and  A Father's Guiding Hand in Troubled Times  and  Deadlines                                        

 

Title Image:  via Wikimedia.com   Images without citation are in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

A Father's Guiding Hand in Troubled Times

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Monday, June 19, 2017

Finally, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to stay alone in Athens, and we sent Timothy to visit you.  He is our brother and God’s co-worker in proclaiming the Good News of Christ.  We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith, and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going through.  But you know that we are destined for such troubles.  Even while we were with you, we warned you that troubles would soon come—and they did, as you well know.  That is why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong.  I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you and that our work had been useless.  1 Thessalonians 3:1-5^(NLT)

I’m certain Paul considered the believers at Thessalonica his children in the faith.  His fatherly love for them shouts through this passage when he confesses he couldn’t stand it any longer, not knowing if they were still holding firm in the faith.  It seems Paul had heard about the persecution the young Christians were facing, and was anxious to know how they were faring.  It’s like that with fathers.  A father has dreams that his children’s dreams will come true; you want the best for them.

Yesterday was Father’s Day, and it was also the 99^th anniversary of my Dad being born.  He went home to be with Jesus two years ago and I miss him terribly.  That being said, I would not draw him back from Heaven for even a moment, even if that were possible. 

But I do think often of his care for me, and the ways he was anxious for my well-being.  I never felt wanting when it came to being loved by my father.

When I was 16 I played high school football.  One time I zigged when I should have zagged, and a knee from another player found its way into my side, and that led to a speedy trip to the hospital in the back of Coach Weitz’s station wagon, and emergency surgery for a ruptured spleen. 

Mom and Dad spent six hours in the waiting room while the docs put me back together.  There was plenty of “waiting-room coffee” but nothing to eat.  I am told that when they wheeled me out of surgery around 10pm past my parents I was white as a sheet, unconscious, and had tubes, needles and IV bags hooked-up to arms, legs, and any other available spot.  Dad never ate lunch, and hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast that morning.  Sources say he turned white as his comatose son, got wobbly-kneed, sagged back into his chair and fainted.  Now my Dad was 6’2” and a man’s man, but the sight of his little boy in that shape drove any pretense of remaining strong when your kid might bleed to death.

Years later I can think of that whole escapade and laugh.  If Dad were still here he would say in his customary lame way:  That’s easy for you to say…you were taking a nap the whole time!

It’s true; I was out cold and never knew the real danger I faced, and how the doctors were busy saving my life.  But Dad never prayed so hard or felt so pressed and helpless.  Such is the burden of one who cares.

For You Today

It is a good reminder, Father’s Day, to remember and give thanks for those who have cared for you and guided you through troubled times. 

We have a Heavenly Father to thank, and for Whom we can be grateful!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

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NOTES

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[i] Title Image: Pixabay.com

Hanging Out With Dad

Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him. Psalms 105:4 (NLT)

Thursday August 15, 2013

Too many believers have the idea that becoming a Christian means we say a prayer and then spend the rest of our lives trembling before the throne and agonizing over our lack of this, or poor performance in that.  Our theme song is “I’ve been saved and now I’m suffering for Jesus.”

Too bad about that!

A question:  Whoever told you that?  And was that person foaming at the mouth when it was said?  Was there a wild look in the eyes? 

Suffering can truly be part of a Christian’s life…but Jesus did the ultimate suffering on the cross so we could receive His joyful life…not live a life of self-imposed misery.

So, what does it mean to continually seek the Lord if it doesn’t involve suffering and agonizing over every detail of life? 

I believe it’s a lot like playing golf with Dad.  Everything I learned about hitting a golf ball (while maintaining sanity) came from my Father.   Just starting out, my idea of a great golf shot was to whack the ball with every ounce of youthful strength I possessed.  I spent most of my time in the woods hunting for my lost ball, instead of enjoying life in the fairways.  It drove me crazy!

Hanging-out with Dad on the golf course taught me to swing easily, letting the rhythm of a smooth swing hit a straight shot.  I would never have learned that on my own.  

Now, my Father was never a professional golfer, or even a good amateur – but I learned by listening and watching what it was like to play the game and still enjoy it.  

Hanging with our Heavenly Father is a lot like that.  You learn a lot when you listen, watch and wait.  Continually seeking the Lord, for me, is staying in His presence, listening for His voice about a life-issue, or watching what He does with someone I don’t understand.  That kind of thing requires alertness and patience, but it pays off.

God is willing to teach us that kind of stuff; it can happen when you hang out with Dad.