“For hours the races continued in. . .neck deep mud. By evening, we could barely move from the bone-chilling coldness and the fatigue. As the sun went down the temperature dropped, the wind picked up, and everything seemed to get even harder. Moral was declining rapidly. . .
Silhouetted against the distant lights of the city, a SEAL instructor walked purposefully to the edge of the mudflats. Sounding like an old friend he softly. . .offered hot coffee and chicken soup. (The others started stirring.). . .The student beside me moved toward the instructor. I grabbed his arm. . .but the urge to leave was too great. Suddenly, above the howl of the wind came a voice singing. It was tired and raspy, but loud enough to be heard by all. One voice became two and two became three and then before long everyone was singing. (The student who left was back by myside looping his arm around mine. The instructor yelled to stop singing. No one did. He yelled and yelled to stop.) (this part is summarized.) The voices grew louder and stronger and the will became unbreakable. We learned an important lesson that night:
The power of one person to inspire those around him, to give them hope.
Hope in the very worst of times we can rise above the pain, the disappointment, and the agony and be strong. That we each had within us the ability to carry on and not only to survive but also to inspire others. Hope is the most powerful force in the universe. With hope you can inspire nations to greatness. With hope you can raise up the downtrodden. With hope you can ease the pain of unbearable loss. Sometimes all it takes is one person to make a difference.”
-Make your bed by Admiral McRaven-
As a world, we are in neck deep in mud. A sticky, ooey gooey mud that is finding its way into every crevice of our lives.
There are a lot of articles being read,
a lot of thoughts being said,
a lot of emotions being felt,
and a lot of decisions being made.
We each feel a little different about the situation: some are in full isolation, some don’t care, and others are somewhere in the murky middle.
I know what I think everyone should do but. . . my neighbor may think differently, my family may think differently, or someone on the news may think differently.
What do we do with these different opinions? How do handle such drastic decisions or actions of others?
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
As I sit back and watch . . . I am most concerned for our hearts.
We, (and yes I say we,) are struggling with. . .
Hearts of judgement
Heats of selfishness
Hearts forsaking wisdom
Hearts choosing self-love
We may not agree with our neighbor’s choices.
We may not agree with their thoughts on obeying or not obeying the government.
We may think they are foolish for staying in or foolish for leaving.
While those decisions are import and we all need to be informed on this rapidly progressing situation, the MOST important concern is our hearts.
“Above all else, guard you heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Prov 4:23
When we look back in 3 months—let’s be proud of our actions, our words, our friendships and the strength of our hearts.
Like the men in the mud let’s join arms and endure together.
Let’s grow stronger—together.
Let’s grow in our faith—together.
Let’s learn to love deeper, embrace grace more fully, and enrich our hearts in God’s Word—together.
Let’s be witnesses to those around us and to the world—together! Find a way to sing out and encourage the person next to you to be steadfast and secure in the love of our Lord and Savior.
Let’s sing together!!
Lyrics:
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