Risky Business

August 15, 2021

Mama, if you read this…I’m sorry.

When we were teenagers, I snuck out of the house to meet Joe. More than once.

He’d wait for me on Carmack Rd, a dirt road close to my house. I’d jump in his truck and we would ride at least half a mile with the headlights off, just to be safe. Sometimes we would pick up one of his buddies and one of mine (I won’t name his friend, but I will absolutely tell you that mine was my best friend Jeanenne…I mean, if my mama is going to be mad, I want hers to be mad, too!) Sometimes, it was just Joe and me. Always, though, we’d end up at the cemetery at the “church on the hill” in Seven Springs. I know…I know…the funeral business was in his blood, even then! 😂

We didn’t do anything incredibly illegal in the moonlit cemetery on those summer nights, and while I won’t share all the details, I will say this: I’m pretty sure we played hide and go seek in the very spot where Joe is buried! 😂

I don’t know whose heart raced more in those moments right after I jumped in his truck or when he brought me home–mine or Joe’s. We were both terrified that my daddy would be waiting for us on the front porch with a shotgun!

And Mama, if you are reading this, I guess I should clarify…I am sorry that I am spilling the beans about my teenage indiscretions here in the blog. However, I am not sorry that I bent the rules all those years ago. Those are some of my favorite Joe memories!

Sometimes. you have to be willing to take the risk!

This week, Joe’s lesson is about taking risks, and allowing our faith to be stronger than our fear.

He wrote:

Don’t Be Afraid

2 Timothy 1:7 reads: “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of sound mind.”

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please God.”  We should use our faith in all that we do.  Once we start using faith to overcome problems, we begin to gain momentum.  The issue is keeping that momentum going. Newton’s law states that objects at rest tend to stay at rest.  Objects in motion tend to stay in motion.  And if you don’t grow in your faith, your faith will wither…if you don’t use it, you lose it.  

The Bible tells us of Jesus taking  His disciples out on a boat during a storm.  His reasoning for doing so was to develop their faith in Him. Today I am here to tell you that if you have Jesus on board your ship, you can get through absolutely anything.  

We are absolutely not promised an easy life.  God exposes us to different situations because He knows it is how we are able to grow our faith in Him.  

A well known preacher in the 1800’s, Reverend Phillip Brooks, wrote the following: “Do not pray for tasks equal to your power. Pray for power equal to your tasks.”  God wants us to be challenged, and He assures us in His Word that He is there with us during those times. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 

All progress involves risk.  A baseball player knows he cannot steal  second base with his foot on first.  In my own business ventures, I have struggled with that very fear, but I know that in order to make progress, I have to overcome my fear. 

One day, David the shepherd was tending his sheep and as it says in 1 Samuel, there came a lion.  But, in God’s strength, he defeated it. Then came a bear. And then Goliath. If David had run from that lion he would have missed the opportunity to be King of Israel.  

So when that lion comes along, use it not as an excuse to be afraid or intimidated. Use it as an opportunity to exercise your faith in God and conquer it.  

Heavenly Father, help us to rise above what it is we think we can do. Lord, help us to see what You know we can do through You.  

Amen

-JMP

CS Lewis wrote, ” No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”

I probably read that quote 100 times before Joe died, and never really gave it much thought. Now, however, I understand.

I’ve been afraid of pretty much everything for the past several months. Afraid for my future. Afraid of my feelings. Afraid for my family. Afraid I’d forget. Afraid I wouldn’t forget. Afraid of tackling the tasks that Joe always handled. Afraid of everything.

This week, that fear hit me in the gut again. I let the dogs out when I woke up on Wednesday. Daisy soon returned, but Chief did not. I called and called, walked the path, but he was nowhere to be found. Finally, I just sat down on the back steps and prayed. In just a few minutes, I saw that big, beautiful head peep around the corner of the house, and Chief ambled up beside me like nothing in the world was wrong. I buried my face in his fur and had myself a complete come apart right there.

I realized that, in my mind, Chief is the last living, breathing daily connection to Joe that I have in my life. Joe loved that dog with all his heart, and Chief loved Joe just that much in return. So, even though he drives me absolutely crazy sometimes, I have clung to that sweet old dog like a lifeline since December. I didn’t have Joe, but I wasn’t completely alone.

And while Chief is such a blessing to me, that incident made me ponder why we cling to emotions like grief, even when they hurt. I think the answer is fear. Grief is awful. It is physically painful. I have said over and over that I just want to feel better. And I do. However, now that time has passed and I feel the sting of grief abating to some degree, I also find myself afraid of letting go of it, because well…that’s where Joe lives. Grief is love turned inside out. All my love for Joe lives in my grief. So, yes, I am afraid of letting go of it completely, because that might mean I’m letting go of Joe. Right?

Wrong.

The devil would like nothing more than for me to stay trapped in this spot forever. He would like for me to believe that my security is tied to a dog and that my love for Joe is tied to this feeling of sadness. That is just not true.

My security is tied to the One who guides me every step. My love for Joe is forever tethered to the hope I have in Jesus, not to the sadness I feel here on earth.

So, maybe it’s time to step forward in faith. Maybe it’s time to let go of the past, and know that learning to move forward is never going to mean letting go of Joe–it is simply using the love we shared for each other and for Jesus to make the most of the life that is laid before me.

But moving forward is a pretty scary thing. I am walking out of one storm. I really don’t care to walk into another.

The Bible tells us of Jesus taking  His disciples out on a boat during a storm.  His reasoning for doing so was to develop their faith in Him. Today I am here to tell you that if you have Jesus on board your ship, you can get through absolutely anything.  

And that really is the truth. It is in the storm that our faith is born. That faith fosters the courage to take the steps that lead you into the sun again. And while that doesn’t mean you’ll never face another storm, it does mean that the same God who walked you through the first one will walk you through the last.

One day, David the shepherd was tending his sheep and as it says in 1 Samuel, there came a lion.  But, in God’s strength, he defeated it. Then came a bear. And then Goliath. If David had run from that lion he would have missed the opportunity to be King of Israel.  

Sweet friend, you can mind your business and live your life and still, one day, there will come a lion. Maybe you can’t defeat a lion on your own. My friend…you never were supposed to. God will give you the power in the face of fear. But you’ll never see that if you turn around and run.

So when that lion comes along, use it as an opportunity to exercise your faith in God and conquer it.

In the words of a cherished friend… “Sometimes you must beard that lion right there in his den”. Whatever it is that keeps you from moving forward, my friend, face it head on today. Let your faith be bigger than your fear.

My God didn’t bring us this far just to bring us this far. Step out in faith, even though your heart is racing. The greatest blessings of this life…well…they are simply worth the risk. ❤️

-Words of Wisdom from The Book of Joe