They Were Not Immune and Neither Are We

If you told Billy Mays, OxiClean spokesman, that when he went to bed on Saturday, June 27^th that he would die before seeing the sun rise, he would not have believed you. And yet he did.

If just one year ago, you asked Governor Sanford if he thought his marriage and reputation were about to crumble around him due to an affair to ensue with a ‘dear friend’, he would have scoffed. And yet it has.

If you told Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya that he would be forced to leave his own country in which democracy has been in place for nearly 30 years, he would have denied the possibility. And yet he was.

Ed McMahon died on Tuesday, June 23^rd owing millions more than he ever gave away.

June 25^th saw the death of Farrah Fawcett overshadowed quickly by the abrupt death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Although this past week has been full of news involving the deaths and demises of many of the ‘beautiful’ people(those previously thought untouchable by such realities as death and financial struggles), the fact remains that we are all human and the struggles of life happen to us all.

Death.

James 4:14b says, “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

I don’t think that people believe themselves totally immune to death. I imagine we all have a somewhat healthy fear of it. And yet it is still really difficult to handle as it comes unannounced. Whether a pop culture icon or a nameless face in a backwards town that is equally unknown, death leaves a void. Someone is missing who was there before and it does not seem fair.

Immorality.

Proverbs 6:32 says, “But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.”

There’s something about power and status that seems to deliver the same treacherous result time after time. History is filled with politicians, business leaders, and ministers who all began their ladder climb towards success rung by rung only to find themselves on ground zero face down due to a demise caused by their own selfish actions.

Debt

Romans 13:8 says, “Let no debt remain outstanding…”

I’m reading David Copperfield right now and there’s a character in the book who gives some very sound advice to young David. He says, “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.”

One hundred years later and we are still learning the same lesson that living on more than we make leads to destruction.

Freedom.

Galatians 5:1 says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

I wonder if it is plausible to say that freedom is relative. Even in America, are we really free? Or is there always something keeping us from experiencing true freedom?

Movie Stars, Athletes and Politicians…none are immune to the hardship that living life in a fallen world produces. And neither are we. We face death, financial struggles, tempting situations and fight for freedom in one way or another every single day in every single moment. Yet there is something quite wonderful that, regardless of status, gains us access to an eternity void of pain and suffering, and a provides a present full of hope and sustaining joy despite circumstances.

That, my friend, is a thriving relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you are already a follower of Christ, I challenge you to take it up a notch. Find ways to enrich your relationship. Don’t take even one day for granted but rather embrace the beauty found at all times even amidst ashes.

If you aren’t there. Why not? Salvation is not a “get out of Hell” card. It’s an introduction to the best life ever…here on earth and in eternity to come.

Is it always easy? Not really. Sometimes it’s harder, but it is definitely worth it.

“I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” John 10:10b (The Message)

 

I ran a 5k. I almost didn’t finish.

Saturday, June 6th, was a beautiful day in Texas for many reasons.

Marshall and I had committed to be a part of the Susan G Komen 5k Race for the Cure. Of course I was really excited about the race because it was an opportunity for ME to stretch MYSELF and get one step closer to MY DREAM of running a half marathon. Over 14,000 people gathered to participate in this very symbolic race. It was early still and the sun was peaking through the clouds and a cool breeze managed to post pone the pending heat. We stretched and warmed our bodies up for the 3.1 miles to come. The announcer droned on continuously with facts and statistics about breast cancer and how our involvement in this race and raising funds was saving lives. Not that I didn’t care. I DO care. The thing is: I was ready to run! I’d been training and I had a personal time to beat.

After what seemed like an hour of babbling announcements, picture taking and jazzercise warm-ups, Olympic Gold Medalist Nastia Liukin took the starting pistol in hand and at it’s command we were off. Now imagine 14, 000 people all trying to go the same direction on a  five lane road. It’s a slow process at first, but I found myself weaving here and there through little crevices of people so I could GET MOVING and get to a place where I had some room to really start running. It was truly exhilarating when I finally got up to speed and found a steady running rhythm. It sure felt great!

For about a mile.

And then I noticed it.

A pink paper attached with safety pins to the t-shirts of several runners. Some said “In celebration of” while others said, “In memory of” with a name printed on it. As I continued to run, I was able to read many. “In memory of Nana”. “In celebration of Marie.”  It wasn’t difficult for me to piece together the possible stories and meanings behind each of these pink sheets. Nana had lost her fight with breast cancer while Marie struggled through to a victory.

These little pink papers were attached to the backs of many, many runners. As I would come close to a bearer of one of these signs, I would find myself getting choked up over a sister who had passed away and a mother who had fought hard for her life and survived.

Overwhelmed by these portable memorials  I found my pace slowing and the emotions of these women and their stories overtaking me in a way that at one point I was unsure if I would be able to continue.

It was in those moments that my mind wondered  how these fighters must have felt in the heat of their battle with such a deadly enemy. Did they give up or quit? Or did they continue to fight pulling their strength from within, and from family and from their faith in God. As these stories were played out in my mind’s eye, I knew I COULD NOT stop!

As I made my way to the finish line with a time of 40 minutes,  the emotions could no longer be held back and I began to weep. I had made it. I had endured.

I had “endured”:

• the exhilaration of the race
• the discomfort of heat
• water stops available every quarter mile
• a nice breeze with every step
• a slight pain in my side on mile 2
• the temporal uneasy breathing associated with that last bit of a hill
• and the “disappointment” that I had not beat my personal best time

Forty minutes.  How many days and years and lifetimes are stolen through the beast of cancer?

Those who are diagnosed with breast cancer live through more than 40 minutes of discomfort.

They must endure:

• surgeries which often result in the removal of one or both breasts
• radiation
• chemotherapy which has such side effects as loss of appetite, hair loss, nausea and vomiting…  just to name a few
• hormonal therapies
• reconstructive surgeries… although many women do not have this option and never feel the same about their bodies
• and the possibility of the return of the cancer

40 minutes.

My forty minutes were NOTHING. And although I would never want to find myself  in a place where I had been diagnosed with cancer, I pray that I would be able to run  as so many women have run before in this race for the cure.

To donate to the Susan G Komen Foundation follow this link.

 

The Finer Qualities of a Recession

Everyday the news communicates the same message: the economy is not doing so well.

Of course it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to draw that conclusion, but I think there are some finer qualities that are surfacing as a result of the tough times we presently find ourselves in. So coming from an optimist who sees the cup that is filled to the half-way mark as neither half full nor half empty but rather possessing the potential to be overflowing, I present to you the upside to a receding economy.

1. People are eating around the dinner table more often and eating out less creating more quality time together.
   
2. People are using their credit cards less and paring down on frivolous extras that they really don’t need.
3. People are working on getting out of debt…imagine that!
   
4. People are finding alternate forms of transportation like carpooling, bicycles and public transport.
5. People are rediscovering the art of bartering.
   
6. People are wasting less and discovering that leftovers aren’t half bad.
7. People are giving creative homemade gifts.
8. People are finding ways to conserve energy like turning off the lights when exiting a room.
9. People are learning to share again and finding ways even in their own lack to help out those who cannot help themselves.
10. People are having to trust God instead of the almighty dollar.

Yeah the ecomony isn’t  doing so well, but I think that some of the changes we are making in our lifestyles as a result are long overdue and much needed.