5-20-2019

Good Morning All,

Psalm 34:18; “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

    Many older houses have some cracks in them.  They can show up because the house settles and the foundation shifts a little.  Sometimes they can occur because of the temperature differences between inside and out.  The difference causes stress on the wall which can then cause the wall to crack.  These stresses can cause the wall to crack.  The crack is not the intent rather it is the result.  Some would call this collateral damage.

    Collateral damage occurs in our life as well.  Stress and strain which occurs elsewhere can show up in other places.  Many have experienced it.  Many have experienced from both sides.  Perhaps the stress of work can cause the problem.  Maybe it is the stress of fighting the weather both physically and emotionally.  This stress can cause us to lash out and hurt others for the stress we feel.  We lash out at our spouses, children, friends and we cause cracks in our relationships.

    Perhaps you experience the collateral damage, those cracks.  Maybe you feel the pain of an unloving spouse, a rebellious child or a boss that makes your job painful.  These cracks hurt.  They can cause us all sorts of problems to us.  If we experience one crack in our life; we may fear a new one.  An experience as a child may continue to hurt as an adult.  If you were hurt by a parent; you may struggle with being a parent.  The cracks can affect us for a long time.  Some may try to fix the cracks; we cover them up but they will often re-appear when those stresses to the foundation occur again.  Ultimately, the only way to fix the crack is to fix the foundation.

    We need to see what our foundation is set upon.  Jesus tells us that a house built upon the sand will not stand up in a storm.  We need to be built upon the rock which is faith in Jesus.  Yet perhaps the greatest gift we have is that even though we sin and sometimes our foundation is not that solid; God forgives us.  He heals our broken heart and binds up our wounds.  He restores our soul; he fixes our foundation.  He also fixes those cracks in our walls; those blemishes which can show in our lives. 

     We need to trust in God’s promise so that we see past the stresses.  We need to keep our hope in his unending grace.  We need to remember and focus on the truth that our true joy is found not here in this world but is found in Jesus and in life everlasting.  This is our only hope.  Only by trusting in God and his mercy can we stand up to the stresses of life.  Only faith in him can heal the cracks in our lives.

Dear Father, we face the challenges of life and when we face them on our own strength we crumble and crack.  Give us the strength to stand tall by your grace and power.  Keep us held in your arms.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret