Creatures of Habit

These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. – John 14:25-27

Most people live lives that follow a certain pattern. This isn’t to say that we’re all the same. Far from it. Everyone on the planet is a special creation, but we do share certain behaviors so strongly that it creates a belief among us that these things are common. For example, people have different interests, hobbies, and preferences. Those things are unique to each individual person. However, those things also create for each of us a routine that we follow. Our routines are unifying in the sense that we each create them, follow them, and are bothered when life disrupts them.

I am currently in the middle of one of these disruptive seasons. The major event upsetting my schedule was my mother undergoing open-heart surgery to repair/replace two heart valves and a section of her ascending aorta. This has led to several weeks of hospital and therapy visits which have and will continue to dominate my evenings and weekends. But this isn’t the only thing going on…

• My sister and her dog have moved into my house to be closer to our mom while she is still hospitalized.
• LSEM is days away from hosting our biannual teachers’ conference, bringing dozens of teachers to Ann Arbor for three days of professional growth and personal connections.
• LSEM is celebrating the 150^th anniversary of our ministry by holding a gala in connection with the teachers’ conference.
• My daughter graduates from high school in early June, has a college orientation in mid-June, and a graduation party in late June.
• LSEM has eleven teaching positions to fill.

Add to this the normal responsibilities that come with being a husband, father, employee, church member, dog owner, and every other commitment I have and it’s easy to see that my family and I are being stretched of late. Please understand that this is not a complaint or an attempt to gain sympathy. People go through these seasons from time to time, and it is simply my turn. But as I have been experiencing this, I’ve noticed a few things.

When your routine falls apart you struggle to find time to get everything done. Free time is non-existent. Your diet takes a hit because you’re not eating at normal times and probably making choices that aren’t the healthiest. You’re sitting around a lot, leading to the aches and pains of inactivity. Your sleep patterns are impacted, and your brain can go into overdrive trying to keep up with everything going on in your life.

I could go on, but you get the point. Stressful periods of time create problems. The longer they last, the bigger the problems can become. Like many things in life, the world offers plenty of solutions for this with varying degrees of effectiveness. As I consider those options, I thought I would filter out the more worldly ideas and focus on a biblical approach. It just so happens that as I am going through this stressful time, the church calendar has us focused on an equally stressful time for the followers of Christ.

As I write this, we are in the period between Ascension Day and Pentecost. In modern times, this is just a stretch of time wherein we keep complaining about reciting the Athanasian Creed. However, for the disciples who were waiting for Jesus’s Helper to arrive after watching Jesus ascend into heaven after He made multiple appearances to them after He rose from the dead, they were very likely feeling a wee smidgen of stress. Having just written that, I am awestruck at just how frightening this all had to be. These weren’t the post-Pentecost apostles out speaking in tongues and overcoming torment in the name of Christ. These were the “hiding from the authorities” disciples, whose leader left them with only a few words of advice:

• Trust me.
• Wait for the Helper I am sending to you.
• Be neither troubled nor afraid.

Easy right?

I can’t imagine the confusion and anxiety that they must have felt. Sure, they witnessed all the amazing things Jesus did. But that was Him. And He’s gone! He never said when this Helper would come, who it would be, or how they would recognize Him. I’m sure that they did their best to remind one another to keep the faith, but as the days went by, they had to grow more and more uncertain. Thankfully, we know how the story ends with the Holy Spirit coming to them, filling them with the words to say and the boldness to say them. So in the same manner, as I look to find the strength needed to overcome the struggles in my life today, I too will follow Jesus’s advice.

I’ve shared my struggles. What are yours? Work? Family? Health? Marriage? Finances? No matter what you face, Christ’s words from John 14 provide the template for us to follow as we face them head on. Take this opportunity to speak with God in prayer. Share with Him what weighs heavy on your heart. Trust Him as He assures you that He will be with you through every moment of your life. Ask for the Holy Spirit to reveal in you what you need to overcome the challenges of life. And finally, through all of it, do not be afraid. We serve a big God whose love for us is greater than anything we can imagine. Rely upon that knowledge as you move confidently into the future.

Devotion by Richard Schumacher

Senior Director of Operations