Wednesday, June 13, 2012

New wine and old jobs

The Apostle Paul was considering the end of his life when he wrote words that today are appropriate. He was under house arrest in Rome, nearing a time when he would be given a martyr's death, and he was looking back but he was also very much looking forward.

He wrote, "...but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

He's writing about the reward that is given, salvation, eternal life, resurrected life, life with Christ, but I suggest that the goodness of the words that are dripping with mercy and grace, apply to more than even that. These words are the halftime speech of life. These words are the coaching words of a lifetime even.

They speak to every person who has ever had to change course in life, to every person who has faced a hardship and gotten back up, to every person who has ever dealt with tragedy or dealt with pain. They reach and and give a tremendous hug to every person who has ever fought depression or guilt or longing.

They say, "I'm down, but I'm not out. I'm beat up, but I'm not beat down. I'm lost, but I know I can be found."

Just as a bit of example: Did you know that Barack Obama was suffered a crushing defeat in a congressional primary just 8 years before being elected president? Or that Albert Einstein couldn’t find a teaching job? Or that Tina Turner thought she could never be successful without her abusive husband? Or that billionaire Ross Perot got this start by borrowing $1,000 from his wife?

Yesterday was a terrible day for many of my friends who not only were laid off by the local newspaper, but they were told in a massive public blood-letting that could have been worse for one-by-one they came to the stockyards to be told if they were or were not being offered a position in the new company being formed. So everyone got to see the tears, but no one got to see the congratulations because no one could celebrate in front of fallen comrades. Just terrible. Oh, and they have to work till September to collect their severance pay.

But like Paul, each of these persons have the option of coming back, standing tall, pressing on. This is a mighty, mighty setback. This is a terrible, terrible setback, but it is not the end for these people, my friends. Or...it doesn't have to be.

The scriptures are filled with second-chance people. The scriptures are filled with persons who were living one life, one kind of life, and then in a burst of action and love, were given another. Abram became Abraham at an advanced age, young David became King David, Saul became Paul.

It's in the hands of God and man to work together to become, not to look back, but to become something new. You can't put new wine into old wine skins and you can't put new talent and ambition into old jobs.

But sparkling new wine, into new wine skins? Ah, the mind boggles.

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