I bet I rode my bike more than 20 miles today, some cross country trails included. It makes me feel so good, like a kid again. I was privileged to be riding with my long time friend, Jeff Hill. We stopped on top of a high hill and sat on a fallen log. Looking down across a green and rolling landscape, we talked there a while about life and our Lord Jesus. Sounds like I have a perfect life, doesnt it? Facebook is good for portraying that to people. But friends, I have many concerns going on in my life right now. I have things that cause me anxieties, disappointments, fear, and worry. I stopped and got a haircut today while riding my bike. The girl cutting my hair seemed sad. I ask her if she was ok. She said, actually, Im not ok at all. As she stopped cutting my hair, tears welled up in her eyes. She then began to tell me that she had received a call this morning telling her that a friend she had once been very close to had committed suicide last night. She said that friend had recently been put on antidepressants for his depression. He had told his doctor he was having suicidal thoughts shortly after being put on the meds. The doctor sent him home saying the thoughts would go away. He killed himself last night. People need the Lord, friends. I had a doc that gave me some antidepressants once. I took them, but never felt much different about anything. I still had the same heart aches. Ive smoked dope, drank myself numb, and tried a lot of ways to escape the wounds this life deals out. But as I rode those last few miles on my bike today back to my house, tears began to well up in my eyes, not from sadness or pain, but from pure gratitude that I know Jesus as my Lord today. I thought about how much I love Gods Word and its comfort to me, always. I thought how so many people think the Bible is just a book written by men, full of rules, rituals, and warnings of judgement some so-called God imposes on humanity. They say all that stuff is what society has used for 1,000 of years to scare people into behaving a certain way. How sad. Just this morning before leaving out on my bike, I read something from the New Testament in I Peter 5:7. It said, Cast the whole of your care, all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all, on Him, because He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. Now does that sound like something written to make you keep some kind of harsh rules or scare you straight? Of course it doesnt. It sounds like what it is - a loving heavenly Father that wants to shower you with His kindness, protection, and provision. If the meds havent done it for you, or you cant seem to drink yourself happy (a happy that lasts longer than the alchohol racing through your blood), then go find that old Bible that used to belong to your grandma, blow the dust off it and read something like Psalm 40 that goes a little like this, I waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up out of a horrible pit and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings. No, my life is definitely not perfect FB friends. But, I have put all my hurts, troubles, pains and wounds in the healing, more than enough, more than capable, hands of my God. And you might even want to get out and ride a bike now and then (or take a walk near the woods) that helps too (ha!). God bless you tonight. Joe PS. After you read that stuff in His Word. Talk to Him.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 23:00:33 +0000