A Buzz About Nothing!

The house is buzzing with the sound of 10 children stir crazy from being inside too much. Christmas music is playing somewhere in the background over one kids cries for mercy as his big brothers wrestle with him mercilessly. I can smell the wonderful delightful spicy chicken soup on the stove while siren's sound down the street as a neighbor tried to kill himself today.

What a crazy life we all live these days. Christmas is coming on like a freight train as we try to slow it down, but nothing works anymore. The noise, the hustle, the bustle, the commercials, the toy magazines, the attitude of society...this all plays havoc on my family and the nerves in my body.

I am growing older with less energy to fight it all now. The old lion is much more tame, but not necessarily by choice. My patience wears thin much faster and yet my kids continue to grow older. Many times I wish I could turn back the years it seems I have wasted. Most would say I didn't waste them, but I know better. Too many worries over the years when I could have better spent them enjoying life, my family, and my friends.

It is cold this winter which is unusual for us. My bones ache from the cold, my joints creak from movement, my teeth hurt sometimes when my sinuses are sick, but each evening I lay my bald greying head down in a nice warm bed and can think of nothing better than to reflect on my Lord who keeps me going each day.

You know, I enjoy listening to what many would call silly songs. Waylon, Cash, old jazz, and blues. These beats sometimes strike a cord with me, I don't understand why. The words of the songs tell a story I sometimes can identify with. I am not into drinking, dancing or going with women who do, but at times a rebel thought can emerge from deep within. Thankfully the Lord pulls me back in, shows me the right direction, the glory of His Son, and teaches me to follow hard after Him.

As another year slips quickly by, I can only reflect on what has been the toughest year of my life to date. The life of Job I don't live and don't wish to live. My life by comparison is not even close. But many times I can too closely relate having to pinch myself to make sure I am really awake. All I can think of is how nice it would be too receive twice what has been taken away. I don't expect a return of even what has been taken. I don't feel as I deserve any of it. To use money, fame, or fortune for worldly good seems so trivial to me now. Why I could not have used it for God's greater glory earlier on I don't understand? Selfishness irritates me to the core these days as it permeates the roads, the shops, the schools and yes, even the church. Some of us or should I say most of us learn the hard way and suffer the rest of our lives for it. A fortunate few learn a lesson, receive another chance, and live out dream years into eternity.

People, if you have taken the time to even read this far, I want you to understand one final thing. I am not complaining my life away. My utmost satisfaction is in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. No matter the pain I endure each day, the suffering a fallible man can create the suffering has such a sweet aroma in comparison to my Lord's violent death on the cross. Ah, yes, that cross Jesus had to bare...so many of us forget about that for most of the year. The cross so rugged and raw, splintering into the back of my Lord. Yes, the one those soldiers hammered nails deep into my Lord's hands and feet on...the blood drenched plank of wood called a cross. That old cross which has now become a symbol of both salvation to the chosen and mere trendiness to the world, leaves all my suffering in the dust. What is this cross we are to bare? Well, not the same one as Jesus, but the cross we bare is not having just a bit less than someone else. It is not living with joint pains for the rest of your life. It is not cancer, blindness, or hearing loss. Oh, no...the cross we must bare is far greater than any of that. The greatest ills brought on man cannot compare and is over no noble affair.

The cross we are too bare is completely and totally based upon the testimony of our faith before the world. It is the suffering brought on by the bold claims of a Lord coming to this earth to suffer and die and be raised to life. It is the bold and offensive message that one must repent of sins then place complete and total trust in Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior.

The cross is for the aliens of this world...those who call themselves "followers of the way". How does one carry his cross like an alien you might ask? Well, an alien certainly doesn't look much like a citizen of this world for one thing. We talk of a cross which by many opinions never existed. We live for a God who many say doesn't exist. We serve a Savior who most laugh at because they ask why do we need someone to save us. An alien is scorned by the masses as dregs on this world, the cause of what pains the world, and blind followers of a dead faith. This cross cuts to the quick, pierces the deepest darkest areas of our soul. This cross is not under a Christmas tree, not at a job, not around our necks, not in a hospital, not on a ring, doesn't hang from our car mirrors, but this cross sometimes can push us into a depressed state of mind by the pain it draws our way, injure us to the point we cannot walk much longer, take us places we never thought we would have to go, or merely bring about our ultimate death, but immediate entrance before our heavenly King. The cross we must bare is not pretty to look at or hang on a wall. It is not shiny, sparkly or desirable to the human eye. It is ugly, it raw, and it is ours to bare.

So, pondering another cold restless day, one with out much money, sparse food supplies, only one car to get a family around in, loudness, depression sometimes, and simply unrest in a persons bones...I can still raise a brow to reflect on one important thing. Something that cannot be lost or taken away. A most prized and cherished relationship unlike any on earth. Jesus Christ is my Lord and He is my Savior once and for all!