Ignored Problems?

In an earlier century, there lay a large boulder in the middle of the roadway. Traveler after traveler walked past the boulder, veering off the side of the road to get around it. All the while, they were shaking their head and muttering, "Can you believe that? Someone should get that big thing out of the way. What an inconvenience!”  Finally, a man came along and, seeing the boulder, took a branch from a tree and pried the boulder enough to get it rolling and rolled it off to the side of the road. Lying underneath the rock, he found a small bag with a note. The man picked up the note and read it. It was a letter from the king and it read as follows: "Thank you for being a true servant of the kingdom. Many have passed this way and complained because of the state of the problem and spoken of what ought to be done. But you have taken the responsibility upon yourself to serve the kingdom instead. You are the type of citizen we need more of in this kingdom. Please accept this bag of gold that traveler after traveler have walked by simply because they didn’t care enough about the kingdom to serve."

So many complain.  So few do anything.

You’ve seen it at your child’s school... in your workplace... maybe even where your bed is.  Problems as big as boulders sitting square in the middle of progress... and nobody does anything to make the necessary changes.  It’s frustrating isn’t it?  They may yell at the problem.  Gossip about the problem.  Write Facebook posts about the problem.  Talk to their spouse about the problem.  Maybe even pretend the problem isn’t there. 

Truth is... ignored problems don’t go away.  Side-stepped issues don’t solve themselves.   

We know that there is a difficult conversation that needs to be had... or a really nice person let go from a position that they simply can’t do... or a relationship issue that needs to be dealt with...Or maybe it’s something simpler...

...providing assistance to someone who no longer can help themselves.

...preparing food for the homeless in the area

...lending a shoulder to cry on 

...sharing the Good News of Christ with a hurting community (or a judgmental family)

The Bible talks specifically about the role of the Christ-follower regarding acts of service:

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”  Acts 20:35

God doesn’t tell us to step around it... avoid it... ignore it... or dismiss it.  He tells us to dive into it.  Get our hands dirty.  Own it.  Jesus gave each one of us gifts, abilities, and talents.  The catch is... they aren’t for us.  They are for glorifying God, removing boulders, mending fences, enhancing lives, and serving those that can’t return the favor.  “Christian” isn’t a word describing those that believe... it’s a directive to be the one to act.  

Believers do - not just say... 

Move forward - not around... 

Get involved - not lost...  

God-followers are servants.  The minute we forget that, we slip from disciple to disobedient.  I want to challenge you today... if you see a problem...step in.  Get involved.  Share the love of Christ.  Serve those God puts in your path.  Help people who haven’t earned it.  Stand out and be counted as the person who always puts themselves second. And someday, when Jesus says “well done”... you can smile knowing you always put Him first.  

Unbearable

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she asked: "How heavy is this glass of water?"  Some guessed 8 ounces... others 20 ounces... She replied, "The weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

Stress is the same way.  Hold it for a little while...no problem.  A little while longer...a little more weight.  All day?  A week?  It quickly becomes unbearable.  So how can we control the pressure on our lives?  Take Jesus up on what He offers in 1 Peter chapter 5  verse 7:  “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”  God wants us to turn to Him when times get tough... We weren’t created to carry the weight of the world... so today, let’s choose to trust in His strength and not our own.

Under the Boulder

In an earlier century, there lay a large boulder in the middle of the roadway. Traveler after traveler walked past the boulder, veering off the side of the road to get around it. All the while, they were shaking their head and muttering, "Can you believe that? Someone should get that big thing out of the way. What an inconvenience!” Finally, a man came along and, seeing the boulder, took a branch from a tree and pried the boulder enough to get it rolling and rolled it off to the side of the road. Lying underneath the rock, he found a small bag with a note. The man picked up the note and read it. It was a letter from the king and it read as follows: "Thank you for being a true servant of the kingdom. Many have passed this way and complained because of the state of the problem and spoken of what ought to be done. But you have taken the responsibility upon yourself to serve the kingdom instead. You are the type of citizen we need more of in this kingdom. Please accept this bag of gold that traveler after traveler have walked by simply because they didn’t care enough about the kingdom to serve."

So many complain. So few do anything.

You’ve seen it at your child’s school... in your workplace... maybe even where your bed is. Problems as big as boulders sitting square in the middle of progress... and nobody does anything to make the necessary changes. It’s frustrating isn’t it? They may yell at the problem. Gossip about the problem. Write Facebook posts about the problem. Talk to their spouse about the problem. Maybe even pretend the problem isn’t there.

Truth is... ignored problems don’t go away. Side-stepped issues don’t solve themselves.

We know that there is a difficult conversation that needs to be had... or a really nice person let go from a position that they simply can’t do... or a relationship issue that needs to be dealt with...Or maybe it’s something simpler...

...providing assistance to someone who no longer can help themselves.

...preparing food for the homeless in the area

...lending a shoulder to cry on

...sharing the Good News of Christ with a hurting community (or a judgmental family)

The Bible talks specifically about the role of the Christ-follower regarding acts of service:

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35

As your Pastor, I must remind all of us... God doesn’t tell us to step around it... avoid it... ignore it... or dismiss it. He tells us to dive into it. Get our hands dirty. Own it. Jesus gave each one of us gifts, abilities, and talents. The catch is... they aren’t for us. They are for glorifying God, removing boulders, mending fences, enhancing lives, and serving those that can’t return the favor. “Christian” isn’t a word describing those that believe... it’s a directive to be the one to act.

Believers do - not just say...

Move forward - not around...

Get involved - not lost...

God-followers are servants. The minute we forget that, we slip from disciple to disobedient. I want to challenge you today... if you see a problem...step in. Get involved. Share the love of Christ. Serve those God puts in your path. Help people who haven’t earned it. Stand out and be counted as the person who always puts themselves second. And someday, when Jesus says “well done”... you can smile knowing you always put Him first.

Messy

I once heard it said that there is nothing friendlier than a wet dog.  Why?  Because a cold and wet pooch is just looking for a friendly face to comfort them and help get them warm and dry.   

I would guess that no matter where you are today, you’ll run into people.  And while many will not openly admit it... some of them will be looking for hope.  A smiling face.  A friendly disposition... or maybe something more.  Some of them will be looking for the hope that only Christ can bring.   They’ll be seeking the warmth of His embrace.... the affirmation of His presence... and the clarity of His wisdom.  And the great part?  We get to represent Him to those around us.  

We must never forget that if we claim to have a heart for God...we must also have a heart for His people... even the “wet dogs.”  Those that inconvenience us...challenge our patience...and make our lives a little messy.  Remember, if God sends someone our way for help, it’s because He trusts us and our ability to represent Him in their lives.  Rather than spending our lives trying to stay clean, let’s embrace the messy.  Jesus did.   And that’s why we get to spend eternity in Heaven with Him.