Woe
to me, my mother, that you gave me birth!
Why
is my pain continuous, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
To
me you (God) are like a deceptive brook, waters that cannot be relied on!
~
Jeremiah 15: 10a, 18
By simple definition, the term breaking point could be the
moment of greatest strain at which someone or something gives way! In economic
term, one could say the elastic limit and in medicine the tolerability limit!
The challenges of life we face are common to all humanity irrespective of race,
religion and status and we must support one another.
The prophet Jeremiah in the above verses is at his breaking
point, that moment where you begin to doubt what you previously believed in all
your life and ready to give it up, because the circumstances you are
experiencing is not compatible with either the promises or expectations. In
this scenario, Jeremiah’s expectations of God’s reciprocation if he carries out
the almighty’s commands of preaching the need for repentance, justice and
kindness to the people, God will in turn grant him peace from his enemies and
bless him with love, prosperity and protection. But alas! This was not the case;
instead here is the prophet of God facing the death penalty for doing the will
of God.
Have you ever sought or done what is right and unfortunately
faces severe reprimand, rejection and in the extreme case a death threats? For
instance considers Jesus Christ’s death- our Lord did nothing wrong and the
disciples that followed his examples were martyred except for John the
evangelist for basically being a Christian!
In our contemporary society names like Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr., the Saints of God that suffer martyrdom and millions of other people that
are killed for their witnessing to Jesus Christ and the call for justice,
equality and respect and freedom for man exemplify the circumstances that
informed the prophet Jeremiah to cry out to God in such heartfelt breaking
point fashion.
REALISM
Irrespective of the physical comfort you may be born into,
the reality of life on earth is that it is tough, challenging and rough, with
none capable of escaping the experiences associated with this reality. However
the challenges of life become even more evident when those who said “Life is
unfair” are given the opportunity to share their knowledge. The picture they
often painted in our consciousness is one that represents the unpalatable truth
of a harsh life filled with sorrows, disappointments and hurts, frustrations,
betrayals and regrets, unfulfilled dreams, broken relationship and rejections
from love ones, loneliness, depression and even suicidal thoughts or
inclinations, self-denial, dependence on substance of abuse and at the extreme,
rejection of the belief that there is a God, whose ultimate desires for us are
peace, love and justice, prosperity, protection and life everlasting!
These state of affairs when factor into our conscious
decisions to act sometimes leads to a very bleak, miserable and depression
motivated outcomes manifested in, poor choices such as resorting to violence
and abuse, drug and alcohol use or dependence, the tendency to become
suspicious of people including loved one, anger and despair, lack of confidence
and self- respect and self-control, among other inimical behaviors. The
combinations of the “life is not fair” circumstances ultimately lead an
individual who use to love, be happy and easy going in life, to become bitter,
hateful, and unhappy, and difficult to deal with.
THE BREAKING POINT MINDSET
In many instances, an individual at the breaking point have
the tendencies to justify why only himself can solve his problem, because
according to his mindset, nobody really care and neither do God! His
justifications are rooted in questions that only the human heart can imagine
because it is unable to discern the heart of God through his words. Examples of
such questions are as follows:
Where was the so
called God when I was hurting, in pain and near death?
Where was God when I lost my marriage?
Where was God when I lost my Job?
Where was God when I failed my examination?
Where was God when I lost my house?
Where was God when I lost child?
Where was God when the accident happened?
Where was God when I was unjustly accused?
Where was God when I lost the position or promotion or was
demoted?
Where was God when they appointed someone less qualified
than me?
Where was God when my friend was gunned down and killed?
Where was God when I could hardly eat, drink or clothe
myself due to hardship?
Where was God in the face of the many injustices I see every
day in my life?
Where was God in allowing the rich to treat the poor like
dogs?
Where was God when I try to do right and get punished?
Where was God when evil people enjoy life and succeeds,
whereas I suffer in your name?
Where was God when I filed for bankruptcy?
Where was God when my best friend dies of cancer?
They try to end their justification of “God does not care”
with the argument that if God really care, these things should not happen to a
good man, who is working hard, trying to live a good life and enjoy life, but
instead is miserably and horrifically being bombarded with pain, wound and hurt
that unbeliever never seems to experience.
THE MIND OF GOD
Nobody can comprehend the mind of God; just like the heavens
are further from the earth, so is the ways of the Lord! However, Jesus Christ
did manifest the ways of his heavenly Father to us while he was here on earth
and therefore that becomes the yardstick to guide our perception of our God who
is infinitely and steadfastly loving, kind and merciful, compassionate,
forgiving and generous and above all design our path to eternal life in his
kingdom of heavenly glory.
Jesus Christ admonished us that “a person’s true life is not
made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be. True riches is in
doing what God need us to do and that is to love him above everything else and
love our neighbors as ourselves.
When two people are truly in love, they go out of their ways
to please each other, showing affection, love and finding themselves
irresistible. Under such situation it is difficult not to want to rely on
someone you love, and this is essentially the kind of relationship our God is
demanding of us too; unconditional love.
When we trust, love and obey God, it becomes very easy for
us to begin to look at life no longer from the prism of our naked eyes or
physical perception, but rather from divine interventions guided by the Holy
Spirit. When this happens, words like “Vanity upon vanity is vanity “takes an
entirely new meaning; it does not frustrate us but rather help us to ask God to
teach us the shortness of life so that we can become wise.
Furthermore, we are made aware of why God created us; for
his glory- we are to live and bring glory to the name of the God we believe and
serve, so that unbelievers may see the same God in us and desire to also share
in the eternal salvation design for all mankind.
JESUS CHRIST IN US
Jesus Christ is the Son of God made man in order to come and
dwell with us (Emmanuel), give up his life as a sacrificial offering and
reconcile us to his heavenly Father, therefore paving the way for eternal
salvation.
In the Gospel we read about his many interventions in our
lives, always willing to heal the sick, feed the hungry and bring good tidings
to all who desire him, and even going as far as resurrecting Lazarus from the
grave.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is therefore the manifestation of the
mind of God among us!
Our breaking point can be likening to the many circumstances
in the bible where Jesus Christ was the only alternative to solving the
predicament.
JESUS WALK ON THE WATER
One notable example of our Lord intervening at a breaking
point is when he walks on the water. Jesus made the disciples to go ahead of
him in the boat while he went up a hill by himself to pray. This happened after
he fed five thousand men, not counting women and children! The disciples found
they were helpless and at the mercy of nature, as the wind was against their
boat which was being tossed by the waves like a piece of toy. Then at the forth
hour the disciples who were already fearing for their lives saw Jesus walking
on the water!
They cried out Ghost! Ghost!! But Jesus Christ as usual
reassured them by saying, “Courage!” “It is I. Do not be afraid!”
COPING WITH BREAKING POINT
Peter spoke up, “Lord, if it is really you, order me to come
out on the water to you.”
It was granted and we all know what happened; Peter
initially was walking on the water until he took his attention off of Jesus
Christ and started paying minding the wind and immediately started sinking!
Well, he cried for help and Jesus Christ rescued him while at the same time
kindly rebuking him of being a man with little faith.
This is how Jesus Christ wants us to cope with our breaking
point in life; turn to the master of life, the Lord of Lords and King of kings,
the messiah and Son of the living God and you shall never be put to shame.
The practical application of our faith in God is evident by
our conscious decision to follow him, and that means accepting the good and not
so good seasons of our life.
The objective of Jesus Christ in our lives is not to remove
the difficulties or the darkness of the situations (the breaking point) but
rather to remind us that no matter what we are experiencing, God is present and
more than ready to help us get by!
Therefore, if you want to cope with your breaking point or
the challenges of life, it is contingent upon the recognition of the above fact
and our willingness to accept our situations in life with the understanding
that nothing shall happen to us that our God is unaware of.
Our God promised us that we shall never experience any kind
of temptation that is beyond our capacity and because he is faithful to his
words, we must believe that no matter the harsh reality of life, as long as we
offer it to the almighty, he will turn it into something good in our lives and
those we encountered. And above all, our God is the Potter and we are the Clay;
he will continue to mold and remold us until we are changed into his
perfections, which will occur in his heavenly glory. We must therefore embrace
the challenges of life, accept it and welcome it with an open hand based on the
blessed assurance of our faith in a God that is faithful and love us so
infinitely that He gave his only Begotten Son, that whosoever believe in him,
shall never perish but have life everlasting.
PRAYER
Dear heavenly Father,
The weight seems too much for me right now and is at my
breaking point. I cannot go any further, and I am asking you to please come and
intervene as quickly as possible.
If it is not yet your time to change my circumstances, then
kindly give me your grace, strength and might to continue to wait upon you.
I cannot live without you and I cannot go on without you!
I am so afraid that I may sink into the water if you do not
show up.
Come now, O Lord my God and rescue me, for the sake of your
holy name.
Thank you for always listening to me.
In the might name of Jesus Christ, I prayed. Amen.
May the
good Lord bless his words in our hearts today!
Ref: Jeremiah 15, Mathew 14, Luke 12, Ecclesiastes 1, Psalm
90, John 3
Podeh2016
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