It's all in the heart

When I first left home for college, leaving my family was really hard for me. Unlike many of my friends, I'm very close to my parents, and I really loved living at home. The longest I'd been away from home before was a few weeks, so being on my own for the first time was pretty scary.

I'm especially close to my Dad. My Dad always has good advice when I need it and he's a lot of fun to be around. Knowing he wouldn't be around to get me out of any scrapes was tough. At the bus
station, Dad was crying so hard he couldn't even pray for me (I don't know if I'd ever seen my Dad cry before)!

Lexington was several days travel by bus, more than 1,000 miles from
anyone I knew. At the time, I didn't have any relatives or friends on this side of the Mississippi River. For the first time in my life, I was totally alone -- and very homesick.

Spending forty hours on a bus isn't very easy. At first, things went pretty well. I read some scripture (and re-read a letter from Dad) and met some interesting people (for some reason, the bus seems to attract seminary students, drunks, and military types). But, by the time I got to Virginia, I hadn't slept since leaving home and I hadn't eaten very well. I was hungry and tired and sick of sitting in one place for for so long. But I finally got to Lexington and pulled both (very heavy) suitcases off the bus.

Then I realized two things. First, someone had stolen my wallet.
Second, I had no idea how to get to the college from the bus stop.
I was lost and alone in a strange parking lot, more than a thousand
miles from home, without any money (except for a dime I found in
one of my socks) or identification. I was carrying two very heavy
suitcases packed with almost everything I owned in the world and
there was no one around to ask for help from. The Lexington
"bus station" was an unattended stop where the bus paused for a
few minutes to let passengers on and off before continuing on to
Roanoake. There was no where to turn. So I did the only thing
I could. I got down on my knees and prayed.

When I got up from praying, a car pulled up next to me and the
driver asked if he could give me a ride. He was a pastor from a
church in another town who just happened to be picking someone
else up from the same bus. He took me to the college and dropped
me off in front of what later turned out to be my dorm. So I made
it to the college just in time for the orientation picnic and to
get in line for "check in." One of the first things they did was
take my picture and give me photo ID. The next day I was able to
use that student ID to get American Express to replace my
traveler's checks (a miracle in itself, since they usually require
a driver's license). Later that month, my wallet turned up at another stop and the police mailed it to me. All my money was gone,
but my ID was intact.

There is a God in heaven who answers prayers. And the thing he
wants most is to care for his children. He wants to know us and
help us and teach us about himself. He wants us to prosper and
to be happy. But because we sin, we mess up his plans for us.
We get so busy with ourselves and the things we want to do that
we never remember to listen for his voice.

I believe that the only way to have real peace in your heart is
to hear God's voice and do what he tells you. That's what being a Christian is about. It's not about going to church on Sunday. It's not about missions projects. It's not about what other people think
of you. It's not about singing songs. It's not about "impacting lives through relational stewardship evangelism" or anything like that.

It's about knowing the God of the Universe and listening to
his voice. There is no other way to peace. There is no other
way to Heaven. This is why Jesus died on a cross. He died so
that we can be cleansed from our sins. So that the barrier
between us and God can be wiped away if we just ask. So that
we can know true joy and peace instead of the shams we embrace
out of willfulness and pride.

I don't know where you are in your walk -- if you know the Lord,
if you've prayed the sinner's prayer and asked to be forgiven of
your sins, if you speak to God every day and know he hears. But
I do know this:

There is joy in knowing God as your father and friend. Not the kind
of joy that makes you bubbly and happy in the morning. Not the kind
of joy you feel when you ace a test. It's the kind of joy that means a peace in your heart no matter what circumstances you're in. The kind of joy that gives your life meaning and purpose every day.

A lot of people, a lot of Christians, go through life without the
joy and peace that really knowing God can bring and they don't seem
to even know that they're missing something. I don't say this to
boast or brag or say "look how great a Christian I am." I'm not.
I am a sinner -- and a serious one. I say it because I don't want
you to miss out. This kind of joy is available to anyone who wants
it. All you have to do is pray to the Lord with a sincere heart,
live a life that seeks to please God (you won't be perfect, but
trying is what counts), and let him change you day by day.

Scripture promises:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Rest for the weary

Matthew 11:28-30

Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.


In the early days of our country, no one worked on Sunday. Business stopped. Farmers stayed home. Families spent time together. Everyone rested. Our world today is very different. We are so focused on making that extra dollar and staying competetive that we rush from activity to activity with barely a breath.

So it's not much of a surprise that, according to a National Health Statistics Bureau survey, 33.9% of all Americans suffered stress-related illnesses in 1995 (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hp2000/mentalhlth/objtbls.pdf)

The same study shows that we have a high suicide rate -- also related to stress. Ironically, stress and stress-related illnesses cut into the very economic productivity we are so desperately trying to boost with long hours and long work weeks.

Our reluctance to rest even affects our relationships and families. More women are entering the workforce than ever before -- and divorce is higher than ever before. Unfortunately, because so many families are two-income families, it is very difficult for a one-income family to "compete." Prices rise with incomes because more income means greater demand. Thus, demand from two-income families increases prices for one-income families. In effect, it has become nearly impossible to raise a family on one income, especially in urban areas where housing costs are high. The rat race has become a vicious circle in which time with family gets squeezed out of our lives in place of time at work or school. There seems to be no escape.

The pressures of the rat race are nothing new. In fact, they are very, very old. They all stem
from the fall, when God told Adam (Genesis 3:19), "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return." From the moment of our fall, we doomed ourselves to a life of toil and trouble. And not just physical toil -- in our fallen state, we must also engage constantly in spiritual toil. Always struggling with our own flesh to resist the sin that destroys us.
As Paul says(Romans 7:23-25), "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

And indeed we are captives, slaves, to the sin that constantly assaults us. But the God who brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt offers us rest. "Come unto me ALL ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." ALL are invited to the Lord's rest. To rest from the struggle with sin, not just in this life, but for eternity. All you have to do is come.