Thoughts Near Sanity!

I’ve changed the title of this article to reflect what I’m seeing in the world. There are so many things that are nearly insane that I decided to call this “Near Sanity”. As I collect little tidbits and write on them, I’d love to hear your comments. If you have your own Thoughts Near Sanity, send them to me. You just might see them in a future article! Email me at PJ@ccohchurch.com.

Some Sane Perspectives on tough questions…

How can people live in inhumane conditions?  When we went to the dump in Quezon City, the Philippines, it was unbelievable to see the people living in such filth. When you see the ground “base” to consist of garbage, you wonder, “How do people live that way?” But you also realize that we all adjust to what we live in. How does a person live with an alcoholic, as miserable as that is? They adjust! How does a person tolerate addiction to pornography? He adjusts. How does a child live with 3 different ˝ brothers or sisters, 5 different “parents?" They adjust. It’s what they know, and to them, it’s “normal.”

How can people with so little be so happy?  When I went on a mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico, back on 2003, I was curious at how happy and content so many families were with so little. When I went to the Philippines, I found the same. What I have learned is that the more “stuff” we have, the more diverted our energy and attention becomes from one another and to all the things in our lives. When the energy goes into your relationships, it’s amazing how those relationships tend to flourish. People with very little material goods tend to focus on the people around them, and not the stuff. Guess that gives us insight into God’s commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s stuff!”

How can people with so much be so miserable?  It’s been said that the loneliest country on earth is the United States. I believe it. People everywhere are caught between the false expectations our media portrays about life, the staggering weight that living beyond our means carries, and the complete loneliness of a fast paced life lived around others but not with others.
Of course, it’s not just in the United States that we find this. Yesterday in the news a man from the Middle East was ordered to buy his wife 100,000 roses. Why? Apparently he had treated her like dirt and somehow was taken to court because of it. Why the judge would order him buy her 100,000 roses is beyond me, but obviously the woman lived a lonely life as a “piece of his property”. One quote she gave was that when they went to a restaurant, he wouldn’t even buy her a cup of coffee. Jesus said, “It’s harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.” I guess He knew the problem that too much stuff caused!

How can people with such faith be taken at such a young age?  We are currently grieving at Chesapeake Community of Hope with the death of our dear sister Brenda who passed away after a struggle with small cell carcinoma. She had been incredibly, miraculously, healed by God in November when her tumor was cantelope sized. Yet in January it came back with a roar. One might ask (as Brenda did), “Why did God heal me only to allow it to come back?”
One of the incredible things we saw with Brenda was God’s hand in her life. After her diagnosis, Jim, her husband, decided it was time to formally adopt the kids. Their biological father had not been in their life at all after they divorced. Not until the Wednesday before her death did it go to court and the judge made a decision on the spot to finalize the adoption. Had Brenda not been healed the first time around, the adoption would not have taken place. Indeed, Romans 8:28 came true!
Why the Lord took Brenda home when she was so young, we will never know this side of heaven. But we do know that God is faithful and God is good. He will continue to take care of Jim and the kids. And she will wait with her two previous children, James Jr. and Gianna, for the rest of us who trust in Christ!

How come we don’t respond to God’s call on our life until we are in enough pain?  We now have a nucleus of about 7 or 8 men who gather for Saturday morning fellowship and study of God’s word at McDonalds. Each of these men is on a journey. Some of us did not turn to the Lord until we hit enough pain. Why do we wait until we hit that level of pain to turn to God? It’s actually a universal principle. People don’t change until they are sick enough of sitting in their stink and they don’t want to smell it any more.
When we went to the dump in Quezon City, Pastor Joe told us not to act like the stench was affecting us. He said that was insulting to the families that live in the dump. They have actually adapted to the smell. It doesn’t bother them (as much) any more.
How about you? Are you sick of the smell of some things in your life? Are you acting as though the stench doesn’t bother you anymore, even though it does? If so, then call us at Chesapeake Community of Hope. We’ve had the same smells, and still have some. You see, we are on the journey too. And none of us has arrived (well, Brenda has). And maybe that’s the point. Heaven is the arrival point, and we are so used to the smell on earth that it doesn’t bother us as much anymore. Jesus rose from the dead to guarantee eternal life. He also rose to show us we can have victory over the sin in our life. God doesn’t want us to live in our dump! He wants us to be free of most of that smell, and by His grace, we can get there!
If you are in need to talk with someone about your journey, your smell, your pride, or your need, please email me at PJ@ccohchurch.com. I’ll be glad to be a listening ear. Our logo says it best… because everyone needs hope!

In His peace and purpose,

Pastor Jeff