Skip to main content

Fight for Me

We went camping a week ago with friends. July in Florida, it's hot and humid.  Thankfully our pop up camper has an air conditioning unit.  It's amazing how well it cools our tent on wheels. When we arrived at the campsite and got set up, we learned that our air conditioning unit decided to take the weekend off.  

I had worked all day loading and preparing for the trip. I was already hot and tired by the time we got to the site. Learning that we wouldn't have AC sent me off the edge.  What ensued was a temper tantrum that any two-year old would be envious.  I was not a good representation of the traits of an elder at that moment. 

What ensued was an outpouring of grace and love from my friends and family. They may not have realized it, but in that moment they were the face of Jesus to one very tired and angry man. 

The rest of the weekend we camped without AC and had a blast.  Sunday our check out day, my phone decided to take the day off.  At first I felt the same anger creeping in, but then I saw the faces of those that showed me so much grace and love.  I realized there must be a lesson in this.  

We get so wrapped up in our stuff that we miss the lessons sometimes.  I think God was telling me to "be there" in the moment.  The AC, the phone, the stuff are just distractions from being in the space He wants us to be in. James 4:8 tells us to "draw near to God".  That is get the other stuff out of the way and "be there" in the moment with God.  It says that when we draw near to Him, He will do the same to us. 

The anger and frustration I experienced were tools of the enemy to draw me further from God. The love and grace of my family and friends were no doubt God's counter action to fight for me.  Draw near to God and be there.  He will fight for you, even when you are exhausted and most vulnerable.  Sometimes when you can't fight, He sends His children to fight and stand up for you. 

Be blessed abd be a blessing,

Matt


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Glow Differently

I saw this quote recently, “You glow differently when your confidence is fueled by belief in yourself instead of validation from others.” I found myself wrestling with it. I completely agree with the concept that the validation of my worth is not established by the thoughts of others. While I think a positive self image is important, I do not think that it is what really makes me “glow differently.” I hope I glow differently because of whom I believe in, rather than what I believe of myself.  The author of Titus says, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7) . Love and kindness entered the world in the form of a m...

Right In Front of Me

There is one character in the story of the night of Jesus' arrest that sticks out. He seems insignificant to what is happening. He’s almost an interruption in the story. He is only mentioned by name in one of the four gospels, even though the description of what occurred is in all four gospels.  Malchus is his name. He works for the people who want Jesus dead. His job, with his compadres, is to seize Jesus and bring him back to the high priest. There he would be subject to questioning, a trial of sorts.  As Malchus and his posse are approaching, Peter takes action to protect Jesus. “With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear” (Matthew 26:51). Jesus immediately tells Peter and the rest of his disciples to stop with the violence.  I wonder what Malchus thought at this point. I imagine his was in shock, I would guess he was surprised. He had just been attacked and surely is bleeding ...

Identify

 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 1 Peter 2: 13-14 This is one of those selections of scripture that we like to gloss over while reading the Bible. This letter is written by the apostle Peter to the churches of another part of the Roman Empire. The people were located in what is now Turkey and were facing persecution for being Christians.  Christians were the new kids on the block when it came to religions. I'm sure it felt uncomfortable to the people of the time. I'd think they'd have felt similar as we would about a new cult popping up in our neighborhood.   Peter tells the church, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us" (1 Peter 2:12). He basically says be...