I have a friend, we will name this person "Jane Doe" (Jane for short). I have watched Jane makes decisions in her life that I knew were not going to end in favorable results. I have tried to share insight and words of wisdom to help Jane during her storms in life, few of them were listened to. I have always tried to be there when Jane needs me. One day she called to talk to me about plans she had for her life, plans to help settle the storms. She was struggling in life, the sea of uncertainty was swirling around her and she was trying her best to figure out how to make it out safely and in one piece. I listened to Jane's thoughts and could see clearly that the ideas she had were not going to help but were merely her running away, trying to outrun a storm that would not just go away if she hid long enough. I knew that there was hope for her. I knew that there was a better solution. I could see clearly that there was light beyond the darkness of her storm. I knew that she needed to stay the course and let me help her, let me be her set of eye to see the hope she was blind to. I shared my thoughts and the hope that I saw for her and for her life if she would let me be there with her. After a lengthy conversation there was a moment of silence, a sigh, and Jane's response was "I'm going to have to trust you and what you see because I can not see it for myself."
Why is God calling me to live wholeheartedly for him? I don't believe it is only for my spiritual, mental and physical benefit. I believe it is more so because God wants me to join others in their storms so that I can hold onto hope for those who can not hold onto it for themselves. He wants me to be fully equipped to sail the storms of life with Jane and others like her.
I believe that Paul was a man who lived wholeheartedly for the Lord. He knew the word of the Lord and reflected on it, preached it, lived it out. He prayed continually and not merely for himself, no, he prayed constantly for the needs of others. He was a man who knew the Lord, who experienced the Lord all the time, who put the will of the Lord before his own. I don't believe his wholehearted living was seen by himself as solely for his benefit. I see a man who lived wholeheartedly for the LORD because he knew the benefits and blessing it could and would have for others.
In Acts 27 21:44 we see Paul living wholeheartedly in the storm at sea with others. He had told them not to set sail. He knew the dangers, God had showed him. Paul was not listened to and into the storm they sailed. When the storm became bad (hurricane force winds) everyone on the ship worried. They tired all kinds of things to help and nothing worked. They finally were ready to abandon ship when wholehearted Paul spoke calmly and assuredly. The Lord had helped him to see hope in the storm that nobody else could see. He didn't force them to listen but spoke the truth of the hope he knew was there, the hope he could see and feel. He gave them the choice, take the life boats and the storm will overtake you or stay here with me and the LORD and you will make it through. They chose to let Paul hold onto the hope they could not see and that choice brought them safely through.
I have many friends and family members who are going through storms in their lives. Some are in small storms and others are in category 5 hurricanes with a tornado off in the horizon. I can't necessarily see the solution for each of them but I have a hope for each of them found in the LORD. The more time I spend in the word and in prayer the more peace I have for myself and for those friends and family being tossed around by the storms of life. The more time I spend in prayer for those around me the more my hope in the LORD increases. I get seasick and I don't like storms but I love the people God has put in my life so very much more. I am willing to enter the nauseating boats and sail into the storms of life with those God puts in my life. Jane's story that I shared is a reminder to me of how God can use me and my life to help others when they are struggling to see the hope. It is a reminder of how serious I need to be about my relationship with the LORD. It is a reminder that wholehearted living for the LORD is not just a nice idea but is key in helping myself in my storms and in helping others through theirs.
If you are in a storm right now and you feel alone, you feel that you have been trying but nothing seems to be working, or you are not able to see any hope I would like to be here for you. I would like to be a beacon of hope to you today. You can private message me and we can talk, I can call you or we can email or text, whatever works for you. I don't have all the answers but I do have a hope that has been shining through the storms I am in and I know that God doesn't want you going through it alone and in complete darkness. So am here if you need me.
Let us all strive toward wholehearted living for the benefit of others and to holding onto hope for those who aren't able to hold it for themselves.
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