Gone!

This last weekend marked the official end of summer as far as the church world goes. I must admit this does not make me sad in the least. I'm looking forward to....well, I'm looking forward to consistency. Ah, the breath of fresh consistency. You can almost feel it now can't you? So much to say, so much to do, so many new friends to meet. Ah, the fall! And of course none of us can forget FOOTBALL! YEA!

Easy Button

Life just isn’t easy. Like the “EASY” button commercial. You know something is popular when you begin to see parodies of it on other shows. Nonetheless, the “EASY Button” commercials are profoundly true. We wish there really was an “EASY button”.
Of course life is more than print cartridges and reams of paper. If I was going to have a real easy button, it would need to make real life easier. Wouldn’t that be awesome though? One button to fix our marriage. One button to get our kids in a good place. One button to pay the bills. And maybe even get us out of debt. Yea, a one button life would be easy wouldn’t it?
But where would we be if we didn’t have challenges? Where would we be if there was not a Mt. Everest? Nothing in front of us - nothing to climb - nothing to challenge the warrior that is in each of us. But life would be easier, and after all, who really needs a challenge?
Very few challenges are fun in the moment. I have never heard of a family dealing with financial stress as, ‘fun’. Not once have I heard of someone struggling against racial tension as, ‘enjoyable’. The list could go on and on, but the truth of the matter is the challenges we face in life are not fun in the moment. However, they build a strong constitution within us that can truly weather the other storms of life.
Right now you might be wishing for a big fat EASY button. A quick fix that just makes all your problems dissipate right before your eyes. Fortunately, I can tell you there isn’t one. I say “fortunately” because God is more interested in you becoming the stalwart force on the outside that He knows you are on the inside.
There is an interesting scripture that tells us that when our faith is tested, it builds a plethora of other traits in our lives. At this moment in time you might be walking through one of the darkest times of your life. A time when you feel like the only help would be a big fat EASY button, but there is not just not one to be found. But I also don’t believe you need one. Let me tell you why.
You don’t need an EASY button because you have the fortitude in you to make it. The stuff that God has placed in you, yes you, is so phenomenal that even the angels watch with great anticipation. You don’t need an EASY button because that would just make you apathetic and lazy. But as you face your own personal Mt. Everest, and you don the gear and begin to climb, you’ll discover that you have what it takes within you to not only meet the challenge, but conquer it as well.
We sell ourselves too short, too often. Believe it or not God is real, and on top of that, He knows your name. Beyond that, He is completely aware of what you are going through and the challenges that you are facing at this very moment. And if you take the next step you’ll discover that He even placed in you the tools and skills to overcome the challenge that is looming in front of you right now. It might not be EASY. It might not be frivolous and fun, but you can, and should take the next step. Forget the EASY button. It’s just not there. But then again, you don’t really need it do you? You have what it takes.

This little tid-bit was created by one of our fine members. Let's just say I laughed heartily.