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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"Let Your Hope Lead The Way"
June 3, 2009
I turned on the radio and immediately got excited. It was the bottom of the
ninth and my Detroit Tigers had loaded the bases with no outs against
Jonathan Papelbon and the Boston Red Sox. Down 5 -1, my Tigers were
not about to roll over and play dead. I wasn't ready to give up on them
either.
Unfortunately too many people today have become cynical and don't
believe in happy endings. They view the world through dark glasses and
always see doom and gloom. I call it the "Eeyore Mentality." They look at a
situation and always imagine the worst case scenario.
On Monday night our church softball team was losing 18-10 and was on
the verge of letting the game get away. These days I am the team's
cheerleader and I was doing everything I could to get the guys to believe in
themselves. I'm not sure what happened but in the sixth inning we started
hitting. Before the dust settled we had scored 16 runs to take the lead. After
the game I reminded them that this is why you never give up. Anything is
possible if you have faith.
I was reminded of a woman in the Bible who was suffering with a
menstrual problem that left her not only debilitated but a social outcast as
well. No one could find a cure for her. Then one day she heard Jesus was
in town. When she got to the square the crowd had consumed him and
there was no way she could get to him. Most people would have given up.
She didn't. She fought her way through the crowd. She touched the hem of
his garment and immediately her faith was rewarded and she was healed.
Having faith doesn't always mean you get what you want. My Tigers lost
that game on Monday night. Yet faith helps us to see the possibilities and to
hold onto hope. It reminds us that God is good and that He cares. It informs
us that even if the answer to our prayers right now is "no", that God will
never leave or forsake us and His "yes" will be even sweeter later on.
So hold onto that faith and look for the possibilities. Then step up to the
plate and let hope fly.
God Bless! See you in Church. Cal
June 3, 2009
I turned on the radio and immediately got excited. It was the bottom of the
ninth and my Detroit Tigers had loaded the bases with no outs against
Jonathan Papelbon and the Boston Red Sox. Down 5 -1, my Tigers were
not about to roll over and play dead. I wasn't ready to give up on them
either.
Unfortunately too many people today have become cynical and don't
believe in happy endings. They view the world through dark glasses and
always see doom and gloom. I call it the "Eeyore Mentality." They look at a
situation and always imagine the worst case scenario.
On Monday night our church softball team was losing 18-10 and was on
the verge of letting the game get away. These days I am the team's
cheerleader and I was doing everything I could to get the guys to believe in
themselves. I'm not sure what happened but in the sixth inning we started
hitting. Before the dust settled we had scored 16 runs to take the lead. After
the game I reminded them that this is why you never give up. Anything is
possible if you have faith.
I was reminded of a woman in the Bible who was suffering with a
menstrual problem that left her not only debilitated but a social outcast as
well. No one could find a cure for her. Then one day she heard Jesus was
in town. When she got to the square the crowd had consumed him and
there was no way she could get to him. Most people would have given up.
She didn't. She fought her way through the crowd. She touched the hem of
his garment and immediately her faith was rewarded and she was healed.
Having faith doesn't always mean you get what you want. My Tigers lost
that game on Monday night. Yet faith helps us to see the possibilities and to
hold onto hope. It reminds us that God is good and that He cares. It informs
us that even if the answer to our prayers right now is "no", that God will
never leave or forsake us and His "yes" will be even sweeter later on.
So hold onto that faith and look for the possibilities. Then step up to the
plate and let hope fly.
God Bless! See you in Church. Cal
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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