Tough Enough for the Tough Stuff

By Brenda Black

Meek and mild, loving and kind – that's how many see the Savior of the World. He is long suffering, wishing none to perish. That's a fact. But if He came to only alleviate our discomfort and make us feel all safe and sound, why does pain and loss continue to exist?

God did not send His Son to bring calm to a sinful world. He sent the Messiah to die for sinners and win a revolution against unseen forces of evil. Christ came to conquer death, not just ease our ills. Still, when life gets tough and people continue to suffer, it's hard to trust that God still cares. How can hurting people turn to One who has such power over wind and waves, life and death when bad things happen any way? The answer is not easy. In fact it is filled with pain – torturous, excruciating, hateful, unjust pain. The Man of Sorrows knows about suffering. He endured the heinous sentence of death on a cross. We turn to Him when times get tough because we know He truly understands when this sinful world turns against us.

Isn't that what we need the most when all is lost and hope has faded? We need someone who can empathize with our fragile condition. We long for someone to grasp our anguish without having to explain the rush of emotions, the anxiety and the stress and lonesome, lost feeling that dogs us when we drop exhausted from pain and fear. We need a Savior who's been there.

Day after day, the news reports terrible tragedy in our country. Families are still reeling from spring tornadoes that ripped their world in two. Thousands of acres currently disintegrate as tongues of fire lick up land and homes and lives. What's not twisted or torched may be inundated by flood waters to the north or lying crisp and infertile in the drought stricken South. For the rest of us living in between, inflation and unemployment plague us like hungry locusts. The economic crisis may not be natural, but it is a disaster nonetheless! It's all tough stuff at every turn that calls for tough people in America to keep on keepin' on.

I don't know about you, but this proud American is not strong enough to handle these kind of heart wrenching, gut-twisting trials on my own. I haven't lost my home or a loved one to wind, water or fire like thousands of others in the past couple of months. I have, however, tried to put myself in their shoes and asked myself, “What if?” And “What would I do?”

Every time I ponder the frightening possibility, I get the same answer: “I'd run to Jesus!”

The One who was tough enough to go to the cross, is tender enough to understand deep sorrow. He is tough enough to handle the anger and doubting; kind enough to give the disillusioned time to question. This loving Christ is tough enough to deal with a billion tears and the sobbing from terrible loss; patient enough to wipe each eye, hold the hurting and rock them to sleep with whispers of hope and the promise of healing. My prayer is that those in the paths of destruction run to One so loving. You can make it through unthinkable tragedy with the grace of God.

As I watch faithful people throughout our great nation resign themselves to God's care, I am resolved more to cling to my tough and tender Lord who carries the weight of the world and hears every believer's prayer. God is good and God is able when times are bad and we are desperate. God is tough enough to see us through the toughest tests. Those who lean on Him will find great strength. For nothing is beyond God's might.

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic...The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;...The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, 'Glory!'

“The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.” (Psalm 29: 3-5, 7-11)

God bless America, her people and her land and help us always remember we never walk through any trial alone when we hold to a nail-scarred, tough and calloused, but loving hand.

Wrestling with Words and Water

Wrestling with Words and Water
by Brenda Black

As articles spew facts, forecasts, water depths and wave heights from two separate news events this past weekend, speculations and shocking responses gush forth just as furiously. Teenager Abby Sunderland was rescued amid 30 foot crashing waves from her sail boat in the Indian Ocean, while entire families were swept away by 23 foot flash floods in the Arkansas Mountains. Harsh opinions and bold defenses have surfaced for the 16 year old adventurer. Deep sympathy and numbed silence grip lonely survivors who remain to face the horror of losing a spouse or child or both instantly. Each headliner begs the question: Is any place truly safe?

I've read both cruel and compassionate feedback to these stories. I've wrestled with my own cynicism toward the one and tearful sympathy for the others. And I've had to stop and think how often we are quick to judge another's judgement.

The teen mariner, experienced beyond her years according to her boat-building father who taught her how to sail, set out to fulfill a dream. She wanted to prove something to herself and others who might notice her sea savvy grit. Her boat was equipped with high tech communication systems and the hull stocked with ample provisions. She just never counted on a 30 foot wave. Could she have anticipated it? Possibly. Could she stop it? No.

The families that ventured into the Arkansas hills for some tranquility simply set out to get away from it all and enjoy the great outdoors along a peaceful creek bank. They had nothing to prove except to teach little ones how to cook a hot dog over an open fire or catch a minnow along the water's edge. Their tents and campers were packed with paper goods, life jackets and snacks enough for the weekend. High tech gadgets like cell phones and computers were put to rest intentionally. They just never counted on needing them and they never expected the sudden rise of a trickling stream during their sleep to engulf them. Could they have anticipated it? Possibly. Could they stop it? No.

No matter how prepared or trained, the fact remains: we never know what we'll ultimately face each day. On solid ground rather than rolling waves, we can crash during a quick trip to town. Even if we heed the warnings of approaching storms and shelter ourselves in concrete bunkers, there is no guarantee we'll survive the fury of a tornado. Life is precious. Life is precarious. We should never be so presumptuous to think any one exempt from tragedy or sudden death.

That's why it is imperative that we live life ready for the waves. Not in fear or dread. But prepared. Not in gloomy doom. But in great security that no matter what unexpected force blows our way, we face it with courage and confidence. What a tremendous peace is offered to those in dire circumstances and those left to deal with the grievous loss, if they know the crashing forces in this life launch us to a fairer shore.

As I check my own quick judgement on the judgements of others, I pray that these families caught unaware and a young girl bold beyond her years know the Creator of the seas and the rivers and the rains. It is His judgement that matters, not mine. It is His will that Sunderland was spared. It is His mercy that will heal broken lives of shocked campers. It His desire that people be ready at all times in all places because we just never know if this day is our last. So live your life pursuing your dreams. Just make sure the passion you pursue brings you closer to the Lord. And spend your time where you enjoy. Just make sure that wherever you camp, you dwell near the heart of God.

“'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.'” (John 3:16-17)

May the Lord make each of us ready for what we may anticipate, but what we cannot change.



Need something for a great summer read? How about a stirring biography, a daily devotional or a rainy day story for the grandchildren. Visit http://www.thewordsout-brendablack.com and get your summer started with a book by Brenda.