2 Corinthians 11:22-29
22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are
they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23Are
they ministers of Christ? I am talking like a madman—I am a better one: with far greater labors, far more
imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death. 24Five
times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three
times I was beaten with rods. Once I
received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was
adrift at sea; 26on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger
from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at
sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; 27in toil and hardship,
through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold
and naked. 28And, besides other things, I am under daily pressure
because of my anxiety for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I am
not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I am not indignant?
2 Corinthians 12:6-10
…if I wish
to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain
from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard
from me, 7even
considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in
the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too
elated. 8Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it
would leave me, 9but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more
gladly of my weaknesses, so that the
power of Christ may dwell in me. 10Therefore I am content with
weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of
Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
When
I was a small child the summer was one long “play date.” We would play softball
in the alley or go down to the river and fish. On hot days we would walk to the
beach to swim or run through the sprinkler or organize a water balloon fight. We
played marbles, we caught bugs, we built forts, we hiked down to the marsh or
up to the bluffs.
I
remember sitting on the sidewalk and studying the ants as they carried things
in and out of their nest. I remember lying on my back in the grass and watching
the clouds drift by. I don’t remember being worried about much or stressed by
anything.
But,
then I began to grow up and the world was filled with talk of nuclear war and
bomb shelters and the end of the world. I remember asking my Dad if we were
going to build a bomb shelter and all he said was, “If I’m going to die because of some bomb, I’m going to die sitting at
my kitchen table.” That wasn’t very reassuring for me.
Then
I started to notice people and noticed people noticing me (at least I thought
they did) and I began to worry about how I looked or about how I fit in. It was
at that point that I began to explore things like the Merry Marvel Marching
Society. I was looking to belong but I was also looking for security.
I
remember when they decided to change the age of majority to 18. Most of my
friends were elated because it would allow them to drink legally. All I could
think about was the responsibility of being an adult. All of a sudden I had to
worry about things like insurance and car payments and being arrested for
something (that’s what happens when you are raised by a cop.) I was getting
older and my stress level was going up. Then it started to be about finishing
school and holding down a job and supporting a family.
For
many of us it just continued from there with office politics and recall
elections and political campaigns. Now, it’s about civil war in Syria, the
economic crisis in Europe and wondering if we’re ever going to be able to
retire. Our lives are filled with worry and anxiety and stress.
But,
this is not just my story. I’m assuming that this is your story as well.
A new survey
by the American Psychological Association suggests “nearly one third of US
adults are living with extreme stress, while half
believe stress is damaging their relationships, health, and work output.”
Stress can lead to “memory
problems, Inability to concentrate, moodiness, irritability or short temperedness,
a sense of loneliness and isolation OR PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS like Aches and pains,
Chest pain, rapid heartbeat and frequent colds. It can raise blood
pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and
stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term
stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and
depression.”
So,
the question isn’t do we have stress? The question is HOW DO WE DEAL WITH
STRESS?
MAYBE
WE NEED TO GO BACK TO THAT TIME WHEN STRESS WASN’T SUCH A BIG DEAL. Maybe we
need to become like little children. I know, it sounds like I’m talking about
an episode from the “Twilight Zone” but I think the principle is sound.
WHEN
WE WERE SMALL (if we were fortunate) WE LIVED IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF SECURITY. We DIDN’T WORRY ABOUT FOOD, SHELTER,
CLOTHING BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE WAS TAKING CARE OF those things FOR US and we
trusted that they would come through. We were able to live in peace because
someone bigger than us was making sure that we were cared for.
This
is the principle that Jesus was talking about in the Sermon on the Mount when
he said,
25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will
eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.
The
goal isn’t to recapture our childhood. The goal is to find a relationship with the
One who is able to provide peace for us even in the midst of our complicated
and stressful lives.
What
I have been sent to remind you of is that our God (our personal God) is able to
care for you. So, you can let go of your worries and fears and KNOW that God
will work with you and in you to make things right.
Paul
is an example of that child-like trust that triumphs over the worries of our
lives. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul listed a whole string of
challenges that he had faced because of his commitment to Jesus: imprisonments,
floggings, stonings, shipwreaks, bandits, hunger, thirst and on top of that he
carried the “daily pressure” of his “anxiety for all the churches.”
28And,
besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for
all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made
to stumble, and I am not indignant? 2 Corinthians 11:28-29
Many
people (maybe even “most” people) would have buckled under all of the kinds of challenges
that Paul had faced AND many people would have responded by taking a big step
away from God (whether because of guilt or out of anger — I guess it makes
little difference), BUT apparently Paul responded to the challenges in his life
by moving closer to the God who had called him, forgiven him and sent him out
to proclaim Good News.
Because
of that decision Paul’s relationship with God became richer and his confidence
in God became stronger AND the stress in his life didn’t break him.
Like
Paul, we have a choice. We can let the “stressors” in our lives move us away
from God or we can allow our challenges to move us into the arms of God. We can
either run from him or come home to him and allow him to comfort us and care
for us.
The
Good News is that in the presence of God there is HOPE AND PEACE AND STRENGTH.
That’s why Paul was able to say,
10Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships,
persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak,
then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10
God’s
love is unending and God’s grace is sufficient for all of the challenges we
face in our lives. So, the spiritual prescription for people whose lives are
filled with stress is to move closer to God.
I
know that many times we (clergy) sound like we are needlessly repeating the
same things over and over again AND I know that people have interpreted many of
the things we keep pushing as just another set of unnecessary obligations BUT THAT’S
BECAUSE MANY OF US HAVE NEVER COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
LIVING GOD ACTUALLY WORKS TO CHANGE THE WAY WE LIVE OUR LIVES. We are offering an
opportunity for ordinary people (like you and me) to find peace in a world
filled with turmoil. We are PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS that there is hope for
healing our deepest pains in the presence of the living Jesus.
So,
one more time I will suggest that we all need to spend more time…
MEDITATING
ON GOD’S WORD.
Spending
time in the scriptures REMINDS US THAT GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US AND he is able to
GIVE US the COURAGE AND the STRENGTH we need TO ACCOMPLISH HIS work and his WILL
in the world and be his people IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES (just like he did in the
lives of Paul and Peter and Philip and John.)
We
also need to find time…
TO
BE ALONE WITH GOD
In
our world silence and solitude are in short supply and we need to find (or even
create) times when we can meditate, pray and let God calm our hearts. Time with
God IS ESSENTIAL TO OUR SPIRITUAL HEALTH AND for REJUVENATING our MINDS IN
TIMES OF STRESS.
And
we need to begin to PRACTICE BEING THANKFUL no matter what it is we are
going through. Thankfulness says that we believe God is still in charge and
that he will take what we are facing and use it to make us better people and
use it to make a difference in someone else’s life.
Some
time back we talked about Paul who was imprisoned for his faith in Jesus
thanking God for the opportunity to tell the Roman guards about new life in
Christ. Apparently, Paul had found something in his relationship with Jesus
that gave him confidence that God was still in charge and this confidence
provided peace for his soul.
It
is time for us to re-discover what it’s like to lie down on our backs in the
grass and watch the clouds go by AND know that our Father loves us and he is
taking care of everything we need.
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