Suffering?

I've heard the sentiment tossed around the body of the ring lately about how everybody seems to be suffering. Let me generalize the fact that I believe geralizations are cyclical.

My friend Mr. Meriam Webster defines "generalize", ironically, as this: 1 : to form generalizations; also : to make vague or indefinite statements 2 : to spread or extend throughout the body

Several weeks ago now, a large portion of the body of the ring went on the BCM trip to Mexico. I was talking with a friend a week or so after they returned and he said to me, "Man, isn't it great, It seems like everybody is doing so well. I mean, everybody I know is doing really really well."

And now, probably only just 6 weeks later, we're all suffering. I promise you I've heard it from 10 different people. Why is that? Please don't read this as any doubt that people are suffering. I've got one friend that seems to be getting hit on all sides. Several of my closest friends in this wide world have no idea what to do in regard to a job that they no longer have.

BUT I HATE GENERALIZATIONS. okay, maybe I don't hate them enough to not try and use them when I fight with my wife but they usually backfire and so yeah, I hate generalizations. (sidenote........the pharse " You never......!" loudly followed by pretty much anything is not a good negotiating tactic during a fight, trust me.)

I know misery loves company. I guess it's just that when I've been low, I'm not thankful for that person who comes along and tries to prove that their lower. I'm thankful for those who grieve with me while encouraging, while pulling me out or pointing me to Him that pulls me out. There's a Josh Groban song in there somewhere but I digress.

I get low, trust me, but you know, not everybody is suffering. Rebecca Lusk, pregnant, doing wonderfully. Ashley Ballard, pregnant, doing wonderfully. Cullen & Ann, Jon & Blair, Krystal & Jeremy, David & Becky, all soon to be married in the next short couple of months. People with new exciting jobs, graduations, babies, calls to the mission field, calls to ministry, it's all here.

This comes from me, a man who is full of worry and fear at the moment of writing this. I face a potential problem this afternoon. Did you read that - "potential". It's not even real and I've begun to worry about it. So this morning I sought some comfort from the scripture. I am anxious so I knew exactly where I wanted to go and still I find that He teaches me things I've never known. I go to a site called godrules.net when i want to dig deeper into the language of the Bible. Here is what I found for the writings of Andrew Clarke in regard to Philipians 4:6. Clarke's context is in green, mine still in black.

Verse 6. Be careful for nothing] mhden merimnate? Be not anxiously solicitous; do not give place to carking(Annoying or burdensome) care, let what will occur; for anxiety cannot chance the state or condition of any thing from bad to good, but will infallibly injure your own souls.
By prayer and supplication] God alone can help you; he is disposed to do it, but you must ask by prayer and supplication; without this he has not promised to help you.

By prayer - solemn application to God from a sense of want.

Supplication - continuance in earnest prayer. With thanksgiving, for innumerable favours already received; and for dangers, evils, and deaths turned aside. And let your souls be found in this exercise, or in the disposition in which this exercise can be performed, at all times, on all occasions, and in all places.

That supplication commentary really hits home with me. Because, when I suffer, I hit prayer hard and I throw supplication right out the window. Just thinking about the blessings I've been given and the things I don't even know about that have been withheld, Grace and Mercy, It's so very humbling.

This may or may not encourage you today. Like I said earlier, a couple of friends, they've been hit so hard for so long, that supplication is getting harder and harder to grab hold of. I'm praying for you, I promise.

I'll let you know how today went.

Jake

To aid in distancing myself from yesterday's nightmare of a blog post, I've decided to tell you a story.

Only a couple of folks know this story, but it's not out of my embarrassment, I just haven't had a chance to talk to many people.

I play basketball with a group of guys at this healthclub that my wife and I belong to. We play religiously every Mon/Wed/Friday at lunchtime. It's a great time and a great workout. By my records, I dropped a little over 35 pounds over the last year which is about the same amount of time that I've been playing with these guys.

Well, after ball begins the shower, dress, get back to work regimen. The sheer amount of:
whiteness
wrinkles
nakedness
and body hair is pretty disturbing if you stop and think about it.

Stop, seriously, I said don't think about it.
Really! Quit, I'm not kidding.

So, Jakey hangs his towel up on the hook outside the showers with the 5 or 6 other towels that are hanging there. On this day I've chosen a nice pale green towel. I mean really pale, just a smidge above whatever word you want to use that really means off-white.
Jakey takes his shower and comes out to find that his pale green towel is gone. The horror!
As naked Jake eyes the 5 or 6 rows of benches that line the lockerroom he spots what looks like his towel. I guess in what is one of the worst aspects of the story, the towel is resting on the bench. The problem is that Lavergne is sitting on the towel and just like naked Jake, He is naked.

Now don't get me wrong. Lavergne is a really nice guy but he's a little crazy. I can't really understand what he's saying half the time. He's probably 55 or 60 and weighing in at a plush 275. No big deal unless you're 4'11". Okay, I'm being dramatic, he's probably 5'10". So he's got some girth.

I ask Lavergne if he might have picked up the wrong towel. He looks down and begins to laugh and speak. From what I gathered, he just got to talking when he got out of the shower and totally grabbed the wrong towel. I knew it was an honest mistake because back when I came out of the shower, most all of the towels hanging were white and I just figured he hadn't looked close enough. So, I tell him I'll get his towel and bring it to him if he tells me which one it was.
He tells me it's the YELLOW STRIPED ONE!!! C'mon man! out of 5 towels, the one non-white towel is not only non-white, it's a beach towel that's got freakin huge yellow stripes running through it with green pin stripe accents.

In the 5 naked steps it takes me to walk back to the towel hooks I'm playing the scenario out in my head. Do I get my towel back? Do I use his and call it even? I'm not sure. My decision is more than made up for me when I grab his towel off of the hook. His towel is wet. Wet you say?
How could that be Uncle naked Jake(which reminds me of another story for another day)? His towel is wet because, like a lot of guys out on the court, me included, he used his towel to wipe his sweaty body in between games. Let that sink in........

I graciously accepted my towel in exchange for his and completed the painstaking task of "toweling" off and getting dressed.

Some stories were never meant to be told, this was not one of them.
Thank you and good day.

Some of you who read my last post may notice it's missing. Those of you who didn't read the missing post probably won't miss it.(wrap your mind around that)

The missing post is missing because I lost it. Okay, I deleted it. That post was crap. One whiny hot-headed idiot guy's take on life that really had no chance of bearing good fruitful fruit.

You ain't got nothing nice to say then don't say it. I knew it shouldn't have been said and yet, I said it. Funny thing was that the post was me griping about feeling like people thought I was stupid. If you want to know the truth, I am stupid if not, at least, short sighted.

I want to ask forgiveness for me for shooting at a hummingbird with a shotgun but first I think I should ask forgiveness for even picking up the gun.
Man, I'm cryptic today.