My daughter Addi and her friend Christian beat me in Bloomsday yesterday. Hmm. As the veteran of many Bloomsdays and other running events, including five full marathons, I’m not sure how I feel about that. Well, actually, if I’m being honest, I couldn’t be happier about it. I want my kids to run road races, and especially the race of life, more successfully than I have. I want them to grow up and become mature adults, to achieve goals that exceed my accomplishments, and to make better choices than I made as a young person. In short, I want them to be better than me.

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Not only do I want my children to remain on the right path and never turn from the way they should go, I want them never to approach that turning point in the first place. I want them to stay far, far away from the wrong way.

I also want my kids to follow my example and yet avoid the mistakes I’ve made and the times that I’ve failed them. Although Philippians 4:9a says, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice,” there are some things my kids have seen and heard from me that I do NOT want them to put into practice.

³ “It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. ⁴ 

Do you ever get really mad? This question, of course, is rhetorical, along the lines of “Do you ever breathe air?” or “Do you ever sleep?” If you’re like me, certain things in this life cause your emotional temperature to rise, even to boil over. And I don’t mean the silly things such as my dog not listening or my work commute taking too long or my kids leaving half a thimbleful of milk in the jug and putting back into the refrigerator. No, I mean the truly aggravating things where justifiable anger is, well, justifiable. What about the times when a broken person causes extreme pain to another human being? And what about the times when that other human being is my wife or child or someone close to me?

As usual with the things of God, the answer is simple but not easy. In Romans 12:17-21, we read some verses we discussed in Sunday School yesterday:

¹⁷ “Do not repay anyone evil for evil.Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge,my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.²⁰ On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Sometimes I want to take my own revenge. I don’t want God to take care of it, especially when my loved ones have been hurt deeply. And I certainly don’t want to feed my hungry enemies or give them something to drink when they’re thirsty. I want them to suffer the same way they made other people suffer. And yet I know there will be vengeance and justice; things will be made right sooner or later, it’s just not up to me. As John Piper writes, “Either your adversary will pay his debt in hell. Or he will repent, and trust Christ, so that his debt was paid on the cross. All wrongs will be punished. In God’s universe forgiveness does not mean that some crimes receive no punishment. It means that some crimes are punished in the suffering of a substitute.”

I’m not sure where the quote originated, but I’ve seen it attributed to Heraclitus: “The only thing that is constant is change.” That’s a true statement. My family and I are in full-blown “change” mode as the owners of the house we’re renting are putting it up for sale and my son is about to graduate and head off to college in a land far, far away. Change makes me fearful and anxious because I don’t feel in control of my life (as though I ever really am).

During our Easter service yesterday, we showed a video asking the question, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” This question is based on the first several verses of Luke chapter 24, where the women take spices to the tomb of Jesus and find the stone rolled away. They also discover that the body of Jesus is no longer there. At that point, two angels ask the women, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

This question is then connected to some other important questions: “Why do we seek life in things that lead to death?” “Why do we look for a savior in all the wrong places?” “We want to live life to the fullest, but we chase the things that ultimately kill us.” “Why do we search for fulfillment in emptiness?”

Too often, that emptiness we pursue is pleasure. Dr. Scott Wilson, a preacher in Australia, writes about the specific emptiness of pleasure, with Solomon as his example. Of course, Solomon pursued all of the “under the sun” pleasures: money; possessions; alcohol; sex; music; even work. He chased after everything he saw and wanted.

Then Dr. Wilson goes on to share some truths about pleasure in life. With some paraphrasing, condensing, and summarizing, here are a few of his points:

• Sin can be pleasurable, but ends up hurting others and killing you.
• Pleasure is not evil, but it is empty (and evil) to seek pleasure apart from God.
• God created pleasure and wants us to enjoy it as a gift from Him.
• The greatest pleasure in life is knowing and loving God, and this ultimate joy brings life’s “smaller” joys into their proper place and perspective.

^16 “Then I saw all that God has done.No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.” My lack of understanding can feel overwhelming, but maybe it’s a good thing. God is, after all, God, and I am not, and that’s enough. Instead of wishing I knew more, I can say, as the words of Psalm 73:25 tell me, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”

As I learn to trust God completely, I begin to have a sense of rest in Him. Life may seem out of control, but God has everything under control. My lack of understanding leads me to a place where I trust God and not my own logic or “wisdom.” Many situations are frightening, or at least uncomfortable, by my fear and discomfort put me in a position to depend only on God and to seek after His presence, promises, and provisions.

¹⁸ “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made,so that people are without excuse.” – Romans 1:18-20

¹⁴ “(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law,they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.¹⁵ They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)” – Romans 2:14-15

The first day of Spring has arrived, but I won’t discuss that, partly to avoid being cheesy and partly because I don’t believe that Winter is finally over. I’d rather talk about the messes my 11-year-old daughter makes and how much I enjoy them. Yes, that’s right, I enjoy the messes she makes. It’s a small price to pay to see her so excited when she puts together a recipe or creates a crafty project or concocts a ball of homemade “slime.” Since I’m the dad, her joy and sense of pride mean so much more to me than my desire to keep the kitchen clean for just five minutes please.

I wonder what God thinks of the messes I make as I attempt to please Him and live in relationship with Him. When I don’t know how to pray or what to pray for, does He still love that I’m talking to Him? When a friend has doubts about God and I fail in my attempts to answer, does He still take pleasure in my effort to represent Him? When I struggle to understand a passage of Scripture, does He still appreciate the time I spend listening to Him?

I’m going to say, “Yes” to all of these questions, not because of who I am, but because of who God is. As I’m reminded in Lamentations 3:22-23, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” I’m also going to say, “Yes” because God is my Father and while my wife and I have tried to raise our children, to paraphrase Glenn Procopio, “God has been raising us. As we’ve tried to fill our kids’ lives with the certainty of a love that would never end, He has been filling us with the same. As we’ve tried to delight in their successes, He has rejoiced in ours. As we sought to share their pain and cry with them when they were hurting, God was hurting with us.”

Sleep has been difficult to come by lately. When I first lie down, I crash almost instantly and slumber through a few hours of solid rest. Then, nearly every night, I wake up to use the restroom, after which time I’m mostly up for the long haul. I’m sure some physiological issues contribute to this issue, but I also have trouble shutting off my brain as it races through things to do, people to visit, and problems to solve, none of which I can do anything about at 3:30 a.m.

What’s my problem? Doesn’t 1 Peter 5:7 tell me to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you?” And doesn’t Philippians 4:6-7 say, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God?” If I truly give my fears and anxieties and stressful situations to God, He promises that His peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard my heart and mind in Jesus.

So how do I “cast my anxiety” on God? I read an article by John Piper that discusses the word “casting,” which was also used in Luke 19:35. In context, it was Palm Sunday and the disciples had been sent to get the donkey for Jesus to ride on. Then verse 35 says, “They brought it to Jesus, and casting their garments on the colt, they set Jesus on it.” So, here’s the idea: if you have a garment on and you want an animal to carry it for you, you “cast” the garment on the animal and you don’t carry it anymore.

God is willing to carry our anxieties the same way a donkey carries baggage. In fact, God wants to bear our burdens to demonstrate His power and to show His care for us and the things that have us worrying. So, the secret to casting my anxiety on God is to let it go, but also to trust that God cares for me. If I believe His promise that He cares, and I believe that He is God, my fears will fade away.

Most, if not all of us have said things like, “If I just had a better job, I’d be happy.” Or maybe, “if I only had more money,” or “if I could live in this house,” or “if I could take these types of vacations.” We often misunderstand true happiness and we seek joy in the things of this world, which were never able to bring that about.

Max Lucado writes: “There is a great dissatisfaction across the land. Hand after hand reaching out to quench thirsts and scratch itches. But the thirst lingers, the itch remains.” As one man told him, “I learned that once I had what I wanted, I found I didn’t want what I had.” The same can be said of King Solomon, who discovered that a life not centered on God is purposeless and meaningless. He was the wisest and wealthiest man of his time; he could do everything he ever dreamed of doing, he could buy anything he wanted, and he could experience any pleasure he desired. And he set out to do just that. Yet in Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, he summarizes his pursuit of anything and everything:

¹⁶ “Therefore we do not lose heart.Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.¹⁸ 

I don’t like that our troubles are apparently not such a big deal. If you’re like me, your challenges and difficulties in life can seem anything but “light and momentary.” More often, they are heavy burdens that weigh on my heart and seem never-ending. But that’s when I focus on the temporary, “here-and-now” things of life. My thoughts should center around things less obvious, things that last forever. When this life is over and eternity is ushered in, my troubles will indeed seem light and momentary compared to the glory that far outweighs them. I can rest in the hope of Jesus and the “forevermore” I will spend with Him in heaven where there will be no more tears, no suffering, no pain, and no sin.