“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11I have been working on a Cross Examine show that we will film in few weeks. It is a show about forgiveness…forgiveness for something that is tough to forgive. Jennifer Barrick was a lovely high-school girl, intelligent, athletic, vivacious, a beautiful voice, filled with love for God, a great family…fill in all the fairy tale blanks. She was the picture of joy and innocence.
Then a drunk driver changed it all in an instant.
Without warning she went from a vivacious girl with an unbounded future to a nonresponsive, lifeless body at a horrible crash site. Her triage score was as low as you could get before being dead. She was in a coma for 6 weeks, suffering from very severe brain injuries. The amazing thing was that, although she couldn’t communicate, she could sing…and pray. People would be on their knees in her hospital room listening to Jennifer talk to the Lord…in a coma.
Little did I know that this story was about to hit close to home.
On January 11th, our dear friend’s daughter, Joanne, got on a treadmill at home and collapsed from a major stroke. She has been in a coma ever since. Today there was good news as she squeezed her husband’s hand. That was really special, because earlier he had said that “if I could just get a little hand squeeze from her that would send me over the moon.” He got it today. We continue to pray for her as thousands are.
But the same question lingers behind this and Jennifer’s story. Jennifer is now out of her coma, but with brain injuries that have changed her life forever. What do you do with the natural bitterness from this? It isn’t hard to imagine how hatred for a drunken man who robbed you of so much could fill your heart and mind.
The problem is that hatred and bitterness may feel good at the moment, but they extract a long-term toll. They are like a cancer that will slowly eat you alive. In many of these cases, hatred and bitterness is directed at God. All of the “WHY!!!????” questions are thrown at Him as if we have the better plan for our lives.
I’m not saying that it is easy. It isn’t.
But there are two paths here.
*One path has a wide gate. It is easy: hate, despise, dwell on the “what if’s”, become the victim, rally people to your cause, wallow in the sympathy, give up, etc. etc. etc. This one is easy because it feels so good to hate when you’ve been wronged. There is some satisfaction as if you’re “getting back” at someone by hating them.
*The other path has a narrow gate. It is hard: love, forgive, forget your story, accept reality, go forward from here, work hard to overcome the odds, etc. This one is hard because it doesn’t feel good…at least not at first. But the promise of God is firm. Jesus said that the easy path leads to destruction. All of the medical and psychological and social stats will affirm this. Hatred and bitterness will literally kill you. And make you miserable along the way. Not only make you miserable, but everyone around you.
But the narrow path, the path that isn’t easy?
That one leads to life.
Few take it, Jesus said.
Understandable.
We’ve all privately asked the questions concerning Joanne, “Why Lord? Why her? This doesn’t make any sense.” She is so talented. A wonderful writer. She has two sweet girls, Audrey & Emma. A great, loving husband, Toben. A wonderful Dad and Mom, Chuck and Kay, who have them over for Sunday dinners every week. A close-knit, loving family. It doesn’t make sense…to us.
But this is where we must set aside our feelings and return to the promises of God.
He loves us. He has plans for us. Good plans. Not plans to harm. Plans to give us a hope and a future.
The problem we usually have is that our definitions of these words are usually pretty small and temporal.
God sees the entire eternal spectrum.
I’ll go with His plan. That’s really a “no-brainer”.
But, my flesh still wants mine.
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