Faithful Answers: When Everything Is a Struggle—Psalm 130; John 10: 1-11
My friend told me this story of an old widow he met years ago. Now, spoiler alert, I learned later he was pulling my leg. But I was totally enraptured believing this gripping story he was telling me. He explains that in his work as a nurse, he met this very elderly widow, who was clearly very well off financially. She started talking about having been widowed four times…FOUR TIMES! She said she married at 18 to her first husband, who was an investment banker. He died in a car accident and left her very well off. Her next husband was an actor she met while trying to console herself with going to the theater. They were married only briefly before he left her for an actress he worked with.
Her third husband was the minister who had helped her through the struggles of her first husband’s death and her loneliness. He was a kind, older man who died after a few years of marriage. Her fourth and final husband was the funeral director who handled her third husband’s funeral. And they were married for many years. She had known struggle—three dead husbands and a divorce—a banker, an actor, a minister, and a funeral director. You could say she married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go. I spent 5 minutes of that story feeling so sorry for her unending struggle in life, only to find the whole thing was a joke and there was no such suffering at all.
But what do we do when we struggle in life? Because if we are honest, life here on earth can be very hard at times both physically and mentally. Everyone is affected whether globally or personally. There are three things we can learn from today’s scripture: first, we must recognize the thief’s purpose; second, we should allow ourselves the time to grieve and process; finally, we must remember to guard our hearts against being consumed by the struggles of this life.
First, the thief comes to do bad things to our peace and strength in life. Verse 10 of the Gospel says, “The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. My purpose is to give…a rich and satisfying life.” And some days, when we’ve truly had a bad day or week, I am sure we all will feel stolen, killed out, and destroyed. The illustration of Jesus as the gate or the Good Shepherd is one of the starkest descriptions of the difference between the purpose Christ gives us and the struggles on earth we must endure.
As you may have learned, sheep are not the brightest in the animal kingdom, and they really have no sense of self-protection. If one sheep runs off a cliff, they will almost all follow. It’s no surprise that sheep are the most common illustration for us in the Bible. Sheep will find danger easily, they need to be led to good pastures, and they are easily harmed by intruders. Here we are told that as sheep we need the Good Shepherd to lead and guide us so that we can find a way through the thievery on earth, if you will.
Now this doesn’t mean the Good Shepherd keeps us from all trouble and danger. I remember this little video someone sent me of a sheep in what I think is New Zealand. It has gotten itself stuck in a small water drainage area. It takes three people with a big rope to pull it out. The sheep jumps up and starts running away only to land directly in the drain again 5 feet away, and if that isn’t exactly how life is every day, then I don’t know what is. The shepherd is there to help us, to lead us, and to pull us back out of the dangers we find ourselves in…or guide us through the dangers to a place of safety.
A pastor friend once said that God’s promises do not speak of constant comfort and safety. Instead, we are given constant guidance and strength. We are left, then, with a world that needs more of God in it and a life that needs us to rely on God more. The more God in us, the more we can show the message of God’s grace to the world.
Now, here is a little comforting secret for when life is hard and feels like it has beaten you up. Psalm 30 tells us we can get a little upset, and it’s okay. This is one of those perfect Lenten psalms because it so adequately speaks to the distress we may feel in life. We read the words, “From depths of despair, O Lord, I will call for your help. Hear my cry, O Lord.” I think sometimes we are either trained to think we shouldn’t feel sadness, or we lean into that belief that it shows weakness.
And yet we read that we can cry and cry out in our depths of despair, and frustration, and tiredness, and irritation, and confusion. Even in the Gospels we read that Jesus wept. One of the reasons that struggles overwhelm us is that we don’t take the time to feel, to grieve, and to address those struggles. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve sat and talked with someone—men and women—and they started crying. And almost every single time, they say, “I’m sorry I’m crying. I can’t help it,” embarrassed by the fact that their particular struggle or trauma made them cry in front of me.
But that’s normal! You can’t help it because you’ve addressed it. Society has a strong inclination to put on a smile and carry on or fake it till you make it. While that might make life a little easier for a time, it will leave you filled with unresolved pain and trauma. A friend of mine had a pretty sever accident falling from a balcony, and it left her paralyzed and in a wheelchair as just her legs were affected. I asked her about this struggle.
She said, “I grieved and suffered for a long time. It was unbearably hard for so long. But then I decided that just because I couldn’t walk doesn’t mean I can’t do a lot of useful things.” And so, she created a whole foundation to support people who had the same struggle as her. Grief is okay, but eventually we have to find ourselves back seeking a purpose. Even when all of life is a struggle, God never stops calling us, being with us, and loving us.
So, then, how do we deal with life’s overwhelming struggles? The Book of Proverbs can often be very difficult and assertive, but in this instance, it is also insightful. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” We need to switch from a mindset of stopping all the struggles of life to a mindset of guarding our hearts from the struggles of life.
We hear this same theme in the Gospel. Jesus says, “I am the gate.” But Jesus is more than just the gateway to God’s grace. Jesus is also the gatekeeper for what comes in and affects our lives. As things come my way which I cannot fix or handle, as struggles and sadness hit me, I always try to remember that even if I cannot fix the things in my life, Jesus can help fix them, or Jesus can walk with me in the trial.
A friend of mine had her marriage fall apart a few years ago. She was faithful, devoted, and had no idea there were issues. One day her husband came in and just flat said, “It’s over, and you have to move out,” as he owned the house. For a couple of years she was devastated, defensive, and broken. But after she met someone new, fell in love, got married again and started a family, she continues to work on her peace and her ability to be in a relationship. Guarding your heart doesn’t mean shutting everyone out or being so kind-hearted you get exploited. God calls us to a sense of balance.
Be broken and vulnerable to God’s wisdom, leadership, and calling. But be strong enough to withstand what may come your way in the world. Guard your heart from becoming too hardened and bitter, but also from being overwhelmed by struggles and pain. When you feel like you’re beaten down and sinking, remember that Jesus is the gate and the Good Shepherd. He will keep you safe from what comes your way, and he will lead you with peace and strength in your most difficult times of life.
Every time we sing this closing hymn, I’m reminded of the story behind it. Horatio Spafford, was a Presbyterian minister and lawyer, (just noting I’m not the only lawyer/preacher). He wrote this hymn after the ship carrying his wife and four daughters sank killing all four of his daughters. His wife was saved alone. The music to it was named Villa du Havre after the ship which carried Spafford’s wife and children across the Atlantic.
He was a man beset by suffering and struggle. The voyage came shortly after the Great Fire of Chicago destroyed all his investments in real estate. He and his wife were left with nothing in life except their faith and the hope that they could start over. I am sure they felt overwhelmed by the pain they endured. I am sure there was an untold amount of grief. But they both knew how to guard their hearts from being overwhelmed by the trauma.
In the end, Spafford transformed his suffering into a masterpiece of music which tells the story of guarding your heart and overcoming: “When peace, like a river, attends my way, or when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, ‘It is well, it is well with my soul.” Friends, you may not be able to control the insanity that life throws at you, but you can control who walks with you through it. And God will be there each and every step. When life becomes overwhelming, guard your hearts, and reach deep into your soul. God is with you, and you will find that, with any trial, it is well with your soul. Amen.
Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/805697644792884