Today should be the fourth day of a one-week trip my wife and I planned. I was to meet in Waco for a group that asked me to be on their board of directors, and then we were going to the Hill Country and then New Braunfels. Made the plans about six weeks ago. During the course of the meeting, my wife, Cindy, sent me a text. "Sorry to bother you but here is a text I got from Sarah's co-worker at work- 'Sarah in pain. Throwing up. We are taking her to the doctor.'" Six hours later, we were back in Lubbock because the pain was caused by a kidney stone and the doctor wanted to do a laser procedure to remove it. She was in the hospital room with our pastor talking when we got back.
I find it interesting at critical times that my mind seems to have excellent clarity. A fire at my school when I was a principal and within two minutes we had the building evacuated, fire department called, central office notified, and I was walking to each class asking them if they were okay. Tornado at the house when the kids were little and everyone was safe and back to rebuilding quickly. I was telling someone at church that the pattern I've seen in myself in the crises I've dealt with is this: news, pause, action. As I look back on the crises I've had in my life professionally and personally, that pause always had the same thought: "Change of plans, action necessary to end the direction I was going and immediately move that energy to a new direction." Calls, thoughts, getting information, additional help and action, and begin moving swiftly.
The age of technology has made it easier in some ways to deal with a crisis head on. I bet I said, "Okay Google" 10 times in about 20 minutes as we began the trip back to Lubbock. We certainly saw the age of technology in Saturday's shooting/mass killing in Orlando. Texts, calls, Facebook posts providing critical information. In fact, going silent was not good as parents and loved ones were calling after a series of messages to only then go to silence.
The Roman centurion performed his own "okay Google" when his servant fell ill by turning to Christ. His messengers, the elders and then his friends, state in certain terms that the centurion is turning to Christ because he knows he can fulfill his request. In Luke 7, as Christ nears the house, the friends message on behalf of the centurion is simple, "Do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy. Therefore I did not presume you to come under my roof. But say the word and let my servant be healed."
Our prayer at critical times is for Christ to give us the clarity necessary to fulfill the necessary tasks. Our prayer is to submit to his will and to bring the crisis to a close in a manner that fulfills his gospel. As in Orlando, we pray for peace and the hearts of those who were involved or who lost loved ones to find peace and comfort in the words of the gospel when we undergo our own crises. In the end, we pray that all we do glorifies Christ in good times as well as in bad times.
Hope Men's Ministry
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