From the Pastor's Desk
Reverend David Kaul
“ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you and remember, I am with you always to the end of the age. ”
- Matthew 28:19, 20
Lord, I can't do it without you!
Dear friends in Christ,
His name is Nick Vugicic. He was born without arms or legs. He body stands upright on the top of a table as he addresses a large group of young people. The tone of his voice is piercing as he asks, "If I fall over, could I get up again?" To look at him, the thought of his standing up without assistance seems improbable.
How do you rise from bed in the morning, the chair in the front room, or the ground from your exercise mat or quiet picnic by the lake? You push off with your legs and feet. Sometimes you use your arms for extra strength. He wasn't blessed like you. Since birth we've had legs to crawl, walk and sprint and arms with beautiful fingertips. For a time in his life their absence caused him to be angry at God and life. But this challenge pushed him to become a person with a message and a man of faith. "Faced with countless challenges and obstacles, God has given me the strength to surmount what others might call impossible."
Right before your eyes he falls over and struggles to right himself. It is hard and painful to watch. You want to look away, rescue him, step in and assist as he strains to right himself. Then he says. "I may fail 100 times but if I try once more, perhaps I will do it." He tenses muscles and tries an assortment of well practiced contorted moves. Suddenly he is erect. Then he says, "As long as I keep trying, there is always a chance that I will stand up right. If I stop trying, I will never stand!"
Life has it's way of kicking us down. A back that won't stop aching, a test that defies our limited ability, a bill or challenge, illness or relationship that seems beyond our meager resources, the decision, words or thoughtless actions of the other, all have a way of knocking our support from beneath us.
How good to know that the risen Jesus has promised, "Lo, I am with you always!" With His help we can rise again and face the next day's challenges. The only day that is a failure is when I stop using God given gifts and abilities and won't try. How good to learn to pray, "Lord, I can't do it with out you!" How good to look at you my family, brothers and sisters, neighbors, church and remind myself, "I can't do it without you!"
What an exciting prayer for our November reflection of thanks! See you at worship!
In His love,
P. Dave