Are You a Hot Mess?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” –Jesus, Matthew 11:28-30

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” –Jesus, Luke 4:18-19

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” –Jesus, John 8:31-36

Do you feel weary from the seeming unstemmed tide of negative news these days and the vitriol displayed on many social media platforms? Are you burdened with certain difficulties in life, like caring for an aging parent while working full time or trying to manage a budget that seems like the proverbial teaspoon emptying an ocean of debt? Do you feel exausted at the end of your day because of poor health or trying to fit a platter of activity on a tea cup saucer of time? Do you feel trapped by some poor choices and feel resigned that things will never change? Friend, I’ve been a tourist to many of these hard and unchartered vacation spots, and I am convinced of four things:

1. We all have been there or will one day visit. This is true.1 Corinthians 10:13 states it this way: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Jesus also said, “”I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”” [John 16:33 ESV]
2. Since this is true, it is safe to be a bit skeptical at the pat answers we get to the question, “How are you?” Partly due to social manners and mores, we normally don’t spill our guts to a stranger or even a pretty good friend for fear of judgement or being a burden. We are also socially conditioned to put on the brave face in public or make sure our persona is as perfect as possible (no hair out of place, no mascara smudges, no wrinkles in our suits or foreheads).
3. Since this is true, it is safe to error on the side of compassion toward people, like those who cut you off in traffic or (gasp!) seem indifferent to you personally, as if they just don’t care. The odds are likely that the guy behind the wheel in the other car is dealing with a fresh cancer diagnosis, an infidelity, or a troubled teen, or some similar heartbreak. And that person whose eyes glaze over when you talk to them? Maybe their hard disk, so to speak, is full and just can’t take any more in. In his letter, James simply says, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” [2:13]
4. Since this is true, and since it is sure thing (note Jesus says we WILL have tribulation?), resolve in your heart to be faithful to our Lord. The Greek word for “temptation” that Paul uses in 1 Corinthians cited above is peirasmos, which never means “tempt” when God is the author, since the Bible is clear that God NEVER tempts anyone to sin (see James 1:13). Rather, this word here means “test” or “trial.” The Christian life is not some feel-good joy ride or wild adventure, as it is so popularly marketed these days. Yes, we do have our time-on-the-mountain-top moments, but much of our lives are lived out in the valley. I’ve heard it said that the valley is where the vegetation is. Things GROW there! I used to hate being in the valley, but now I cherish what I learn there. It’s the tall trees that grow along the river valley!

So, for everyone saying a “yes” or “amen” to my opening paragraph, I’d like to offer you my hand and some much needed hope. The Word of God is rife with hope, and you can be, too. Paul tells the church in Rome that “we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” [Romans 5:3-5 NKJV]

I need to digress a bit here and share a little story. About 2 months ago, my hubby and I were leaving church and sitting in our car chatting about the sermon. Then something caught my eye–a little movement in a brown spot of grass. As I trained my eye on it, I realized there was a little sparrow blending in the newly seeded area right in front of a line of pines. She was hopping up and down, but not flying away. I became suspicious of her odd behavior. Then it dawned on me that she was caught in something I couldn’t see. I sent my husband on a mission across the tiny gulley that separated the sparrow and her would-be rescuer. He discovered her foot was caught in some landscape netting! I held my breath as she fluttered and tried to get away, but my husband’s one hand gently kept her wings in place while the other worked to free the tangled netting around her leg. The other birds were watching and twittering up a storm, as the whole thing must have seemed pretty scary to something so tiny! But then she was free, and it seemed, at least to me, that the finches and the chickadees and all the other sparrows were cheering along with me for my husband hero, and heaven was smiling.

As I pulled away, I was basically basking in one of those warm-fuzzy moments when you wonder how something so small and insignificant can cause such joy. The world says you need a new car or the latest cell phone to make you happy, when what we really need is more retired, balding, gulley-jumping, bird rescuers! Because, to tell you the truth, my joy with a new phone waxes and wanes, but this little bird story still warms my heart and will for years to come. And it may touch other people’s hearts, too. As I pondered all this, the idea formed that we are not much unlike this little lady bird spiritually, and that her rescue is a lot like what Jesus does when He saves us and sets us free from sin and death. It is also a good image of what the Lord does when we do not walk in the Holy Spirit at some point in our Christian walk, when we walk smack dab into something that really stinks, realize it, and repent. In Psalm 124:7, when Israel was threatened by a physical enemy, David had a similar sentiment, “Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”

You see, a fowler, or professional bird catcher, uses a snare to catch a little bird unawares. The snare, made of string anchored to a fallen branch or other man-made object, is usually hidden with dirt or leaves, and seeds are placed within the noose-type loop so that a bird’s foot gets tangled, and they pull it tight and are trapped. The Bible often uses this image of a snare when describing a temptation to sin:

• The Lord repeatedly warned the Israelites not to follow the nations around them in their idol worship, calling it a snare
• Proverbs 7:23 likens a man seduced by an adulterous woman to a bird rushing into a snare
• Proverbs 18:7 equates a fool’s mouth to a snare for his soul
• Getting rich by lying is called a snare of death in Proverbs 21:6
• Proverbs 22:25 says that befriending a hot-tempered man and imitating his behavior will entagle one in a snare
• My favorite: “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” [Proverbs 29:25 ESV]
• 1 Timothy 3:7 says that elders who fall into disgrace fall into a snare of the devil
• 1 Timothy 6:9 says that the desire for riches is a snare
• 2 Timothy 2:23-26 calls for the Lord’s servants to correct opponents with gentleness so that “they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”

These are a few examples of the snare metaphor used in the bible. I have always sensed when reading this that entanglement was meant, but I never had the image of a bird eyeing up the seed bait (like us when we are enticed to sin), walking right into the foot noose, and becoming hopelessly caught with the prospect of flying again looking pretty grim. In Bible times, the fowler made his living selling birds for caged pets, animal sacrifice, and food! Now do we get the picture? Now the danger and sense of ruin and loss are most profound.

So, what does a Christian do when they find themselves a hot mess? It would be easy to turn to alchohol, or enter into an illicit affair with someone who “makes us feel better,” or pack on fifty pounds. Some, very sadly, reason that because of their failures, God has abandoned them, that if they are honest with people around them that they too will abandon them, and that if they are honest with themselves it will hurt too bad. The truth of the matter is that we abandon God, our families, and ourselves long before we notice the drift is not on God’s part, but our own. It’s not until the shoreline is missing that we wake up and ask, “Where in the world am I?” I think, for some, the journey back is so scary that they contemplate taking their own life. If that is you, please stop. The Lord knows your exact latitude and longitude. He is El-roi, meaning “the God who sees,” named by a simple slave called Hagar (Genesis 16:13) The Lord can hear you cry–even a teardrop falling on a pillow. Hagar’s son was to be called Ishmael, meaning “God hears.” (Genesis 16:11) He will also save you. The very name of Jesus means “the LORD saves.” Dear child, you do not need to bite, kick, and scratch your way out of the mess. You simply need to surrender–to the Lord who loved you so much that He thought nothing of trading the glory of heaven for those nail holes in His hands. You see, He will set you FREE. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” [Jhn 8:36 ESV] That is why my little bird story is so precious to me. It reminds me of how Christ untangles the snare we are caught in before salvation and the ones we step in after salvation, gently unwrapping the cords of death around our feet so that we can truly live and truly be free from the grief that sin brings.

Jesus came to fulfill this prophecy and promise of spiritual freedom: “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all [the people] in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. Now He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” [Luk 4:16-21 NASB20]

So, let me ask you, do you feel poor, bankrupt of spirit? Do you feel captive to a particular sin? Do you realize you are spiritually blind? Do you feel oppressed by thoughts that you don’t measure up to a rule-laden religious system? Then, my friend, I have good news, THE good news. You may have heard it before, you may even have taught it to Sunday school children, or your own children–but somehow the message did not reach the your heart of hearts. Perhaps you heard it and brushed it off in disbelief. Or you heard it and got distracted with pursuing riches or pleasure, or got sidetracked by the worries of life, and those things crowded out the little seeds of faith that were planted. Perhaps a trial or many trials came and you said enough is enough and gave up your faith because it was “too hard.” (See Luke 8:4-15) But is your life any easier now, without the Lord, dear child? Let Jesus’ words sink down deep in your heart:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Mat 11:28-30 ESV]

This is the good news: Jesus Christ left the glory of heaven and humbled himself to become a man, lived a perfect life which no mortal can or could do, and gave that perfect life as a ransom for everyone who would have faith in His provision of salvation through His death and resurrection, who would trust Him with their eternal life. He died on the cross to bear our punishment, to take our place, so that we could become children of God, born again to a spiritual new life that honors our Heavenly Father’s loving authority over us. When you trust Jesus in this way, you receive the gift of eternal life with Him: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” [Jhn 5:24 ESV] If you feel Jesus calling you to faith, repentance, obedience, and love, please hear what He says: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” [Jhn 6:37 ESV]

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” [Rom 8:1-2 ESV]

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” [Rev 22:17 NIV] Amen!