Free Fall

Rainy day people don't talk 

They just listen till they've heard it all

Rainy day lovers don't lie when they tell you

They've been down like you

Rainy day people don't mind if you're cryin' a tear or two

~Rainy Day People, Gordon Lightfoot~ 

You know the type.  That type of person you've met who seems to take delight in whatever trials someone else is facing.  I was reminded this past week of how, although humorous at times, fate has a way of reminding such individuals that there is someone greater than them in control of our lives.  See, a fellow coworker took it upon himself to speak wrongly of another who has been struggling with some life issues.  To me, it felt as if he was almost enjoying the torment the other person was enduring.  Well, I took it upon myself to remind him of the karma catch phrase of the day...karma is a b@tch.  That is, if you take happiness in the plight of those around you, what will happen when the winds of fate suddenly turn against you as well?  For one thing is certain in this life of ours, we WILL have those times where trials and torment rock our world.  How will we respond?  As Christians, we should know that trials are indeed a part of the believers life.  The Lords brother, James, seems to have thought so as well.  For it is James who spoke to us to "count it all joy" when we fall into those times of trial.  Why?  We find out in the next verse..."The testing of your faith produces patience" {James 1:3}.  Knowing this, why would I delight in the struggles of others?  I believe that it is those who have endured who will bless us with one of the greatest gifts we could ever receive.  That is, the faith and belief which they leaned on in the midst of their ordeal.  I couldn't give a spit about someone who, having never experienced trials himself, takes it upon himself to put down someone who is.  Call it karma or simply a twist of fate, but eventually that train of discouragement will leave the station and come thundering down the tracks in our direction as well.  That much we can count on.  

"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.  In fact, it may be necessary to encounte the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."

~Maya Angelou~ 

No discussion on perseverance is complete without knowing the end product.  That is, knowing who it is we are in the first place.  There is much to be said about positive and negative thinking and how it affects our own lives.  If I believe, while going through my own trials, that I don't have it in me to come out on top...I won't!  Sergei Makarov, the former Russian hockey player on the Soviet national teams famous "green line" was asked by a seemingly clueless American reporter once about what he and his teammates would do if they lost a important game.  The Russian translator laughed as he translated Makarovs reply..."I'm not for certain, we've never lost."  That, friends, is the confidence of knowing.  When we wade through our trials knowing that Jesus walks with us, we find a unbeatable confidence.  I guess I shouldn't say that Jesus walks with us...but we endure our trials AS HIM {Galatians 2:20}.  Knowing who we are in Christ is a big advantage when it comes to dealing with our everyday life.  Where in this world we will find struggles, fear and anxiety, In Jesus we will always rest in His Love.  This by no means is a guarantee that we have a get out of jail free card when it comes to struggles and trials.  Only that we never go through them alone.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

James 1: 2 - 3 NKJV 

~Scott~