What to do when you are sliding into the pit!

              This past week was only seven days long however it seemed like an eternity. My Mother was hospitalized from Tuesday to Saturday with jaundice. She presented Tuesday yellow and so we began the discovery process through ultrasound, imaging, blood work and observation. The preliminary results as to the cause were a blocked gall bladder and so that is what we were thinking. The results were not what we expected as the believed cause was pancreatic cancer (one year to the month since my dad’s diagnosis). Crazy huh? My Mom is 92 by the way. So we held out hope waiting on a biopsy. Unfortunately the biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. It is pancreatic cancer. That will take the wind out of your sails as it had not been on my radar as to a possible cause. I don’t know why but it wasn’t.

The whole hospital experience with trying to be there and complete tasks at the house and the church became daunting but to then add a life-ending diagnosis, overwhelming is and understatement. I hope you have not been there but I would be remiss if I failed to tell you that if you haven’t you will be and if you have then you know where I was. So, I was existing yet I had to prepare for Sunday to lead in worship and preach. Needless to say I did not want to do any of that. I just wanted to curl up in a ball by myself for a long while. God had another message.

I was reminded last week in the middle of Jesus and his disciples at the last supper. In John chapter 13.

Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. John 13:1 HCSB.

Those are hard words “He loved them to the end.” Consider what Jesus knew. He knew he would die for the sins of the world and yet was not guilty. He knew that of these 12 men, one would betray him for money, one would deny him three times, nine would run for the hills and not be seen during his greatest time of need, only one would be there at the cross. That is a load. I wonder if he wanted to curl up in a ball and just be? That’s not all,

³ Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into His hands, that He had come from God, and that He was going back to God. John 13:3 HCSB So, what does Jesus do? ⁴ So He got up from supper, laid aside His robe, took a towel, and tied it around Himself. 5 Next, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around Him. John 13:4-5 HCSB.

Jesus serves them.

That is the last thing I would do and I guess maybe you too. Even when he knows about how these sorry men will respond Jesus serves them anyway. Don’t you just want to slap him? Well, at least I did.

I did not want to go to church, play and sing or much less preach. It seemed so pointless at the time. But I serve Jesus and God reminded me what He did. So out of duty now I prepared and went. We were outside, the crowd was small to slim. We forgot some necessary supplies. Just not a good day and I did my “duty” thing and God showed up.

As I served them he met me. At the end I was glad I had been there and served. Serving others was what I needed to overcome the pit I was slipping into that morning. I whole heartedly recommend it to you when you are sliding in the pit of despair serve another.  

In HIS service and yours,                                                       

BroG