PICKING UP THE BROKEN PIECES OF LIFE

—A Novel Narrative—

By Jarvis “Jimmy” Ross

PREFACE

The Clash of Human Fate with Divine Purpose and Destiny

—Human Fate Ends Where Divine Destiny Begins—

PICKING UP THE BROKEN PIECES OF LIFE BEGINS WITH FAITH

Does trouble have a purpose and if it does, what is it? Or, is it a dilemma wrapped up in an enigma? That’s the reality of life in the Book of Job which tells a story—that I deem true—of the source and path of trouble. Let’s call it the purpose of trouble which is usually a taboo subject because human nature seeks to avoid pain and seek pleasure. But we can’t have sunshine without some rain. So let’s look at trouble and the idea that it could have a purpose that overrides pain and suffering.

The Book of Job unveils many of the problems that we encounter and fall prey to at one point or another. But, did you know that Job’s troubles are all-inclusive and there is no doubt that we will all face similar problems because of the commonality of human nature? Yes, we all can go through grieving the pain and death of loved ones; rejection; mental-emotional abuse, physical abuse; bankruptcy and financial setbacks; sickness and disease; failed marriages; abandonment by friends and family; betrayal; toxic relationships, judgmental criticism; loneliness and isolation; depression; suicidal thoughts . . . “and the band played on.” The latter is taken from the blockbuster big-screen hit, The Sinking of the Titanic, referencing the band playing while the ship sank. In similar ways, we can deliberately mask and downplay impending calamity that can be associated with anosognosia or the condition of denial. Are we taking our troubles for granted or do we see the signs?

Human fate follows the course of the demise of the world due to the downward spiral of human dignity and self-respect. The decline in our humanity causes ambiguity about God’s imminence in the circumstances of life, thus affecting the faith perspective. Is God in or out in this situation? Nevertheless, every human being will be allowed the opportunity to encounter a divine purpose at some point that must be identified. When that happens, a problem arises that poses two choices concerning which way to go. We call it “fight or flight.” But there are more than two choices when we are faced with trouble. The other choice is to wait and weigh your direction.

THE FAITH DILEMMA

Because of the nature of a complicated faith perspective in any form of religion, we barely understand the spiritual angle or the source behind our faith, let alonehuman existence (existentialism), and the purpose of the power of choice. Where does our power of choice (free-will) lead us through faith? Unfortunately, bad traumatic experiences in natural life can impede, disrupt, and alter our faith and cause us to doubt the existence of God. And, without God, where are we?

In this modern age of the spread of the New Age, the faith perspective of people has become very murky, even among Christians. It means that there are a plethora of categories of faith along a pantheon of gods. It has become as complicated as it sounds. Faith in . . . has become like a multiple-choice question. We either put our faith in the God of the sacred text of Scripture (known as the Bible) or some other source. Because of the controversies in Christianity, there is even a steady stream of seekers questioning the faith perspective presented to them, and leaving the Church for some of the following reasons:

There seem to be conflicts and contradictions between what is portrayed about Christians in the Bible compared to what we see and hear today from historical, traditional, institutionalized Christianity because of translation hermeneutics, meaning translators have put their spin (interpretation) on the meaning of the copied text. (The original parchments and scrolls are purported lost or hidden in the Vatican called the Codex Vaticanus.) Those changes in translations have justified the atrocities of war-mongering, advocating a violent God; dominating and oppressing indigenous people and rival nations through massacres for wealth, power, and control; even slaughter and rape; imperialism and colonization that seizes land and people, making them bond-servants or slaves; genocide; biased politics, and government mandates that oppress minorities. It has “actually” become a dilemma in politics as well as religion that affects the outcome of who leads the country.

Those historical atrocities seem to be highlighted in some Christian circles today and are being vilified through politics as the way of God that uses force and aggression.This is causing an exodus because those justified characteristics do not reflect the character of Christ or His followers. That is the cry of those leaving the Church seeking other means of their faith that suit their fancy, which can be a journey of futility.

God is not a hostile, violent God, angry with “so-called” heathens, infidels, and heretics. Then excusing it as the wrath of God to purify the land. I thought God reached people through love and compassion, and is the Author of Peace, not war or destruction.

So, settling on faith in God is like navigating your way through a maze. It’s either faith in an object like a vision board; faith in the elements of the universe and nature, faith in some charismatic leader, faith in what we imagine in our mind and the words we bellow out of our mouths; or faith inourselves as a little god; or evolution from an impersonal first cause. Other religions have different perspectives, so you see it’s a multiple-choice question. The deciding factor for me is that do they offer a redeeming Messiah who atones for our human frailties, shortcomings, errors, faults, and imperfections, translated as “sin” in the British language; cleanses the conscience, and transforms their lives from living the wrong way to the right way? You might ask, “What’s the wrong way?” And my answer is, “Anything that is destructive and disrupts progress toward a better life.” So, let me talk directly to you for a moment about faith perspectives, and remember faith perspectives are like personal viewpoints or even opinions defined as “man’s concept of God.” That’s the theological edge. I draw my conclusions from the pragmatic viewpoint which outlines the sacred text of Scripture in practical, understandable, relevant terms as I point out a “down to earth” God of the sacred text.

Now if indeed there is one God of the Universe and not a plethora of gods, someone is wrong and someone may be right. That will be decided on the “Day of Reckoning” by the Eternal God and Creator after death, and death is a mystery. Before death, the question for many is, “Who is the One True Living God?” Again that’s your choice but please pray for the right choice because that decision is eternal. Atheism and Agnosticism will finally have an answer on that Day.

Most religions (as far as I know) believe in a “Day of Reckoning” and if that’s true, we will all find out the truth on that Day. In the interim of eternity, it is our choice, but make sure you also consider the consequences of religious judgment versus salvation and the restoration of life eternal. Although life after death seems far-fetched in our finite minds, just as we are moved to purchase health and life insurance, we should be just as concerned, even more, concerned about our eternal security.

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I’ve chosen a passage from the Book of Job to develop the parallel of his troubled life with our troubles. It intrigued me. It emphatically points out that although his life was riddled with calamity, distress, and disaster, there was a positive outcome to it all.

So the Lord restored what Job had lost after he prayed for his friends, andthe Lord doubled all that had belonged to Job.

So they came to him, all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they dined with him in his house. They comforted him and consoled him for all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

“So the Lord blessed the second part (latter end) of Job’s life more than the first. He had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys (Job 42:10-12).

But a loss is a loss and how do we recover from losses when it seems as though it depletes us? Ironically, Job’s life was even better than it was before his catastrophic episodes. But how can we pull anything positive out of a negative?

TROUBLE?!

He didn’t think he did anything wrong because he lived in the lap of luxury. That is the man Job. The thinking of three close friends and the populous around Job was that his loss of wealth was a sign that he was out of favor with God. God no longer approved of his life. But that’s carnal superficial thinking that lacks insight into the perplexities of life. It’s like standing on the outside of a house looking through the window; hearing jabber and vaguely seeing people in the house, but not knowing what’s really going on. Then we assume the worst. Unfortunately, laws don’t consider circumstantial evidence. It only considers concrete facts. So, even if you didn’t do everything they said, you are guilty until proven innocent. So follow your gut and stay as far away from trouble as you can. But know this, trouble will find a way to you, so be ready.

Job’s plunge into abject poverty and the absence of family and friends was seen as the end of his life. Well, why not, from the human logic perspective? What use is it to live without someone who loves you, someone you can love, and things that bring comfort? He was alone, yet he wasn’t lonely because God was with him. But God can be very mysterious and seemingly absent when we are faced with a problem because God is growing our faith without seeing or feeling anything. How will we proceed without seeing or feeling anything that indicates we will make it?

He thought that God was on his side, so when things went south, God was blamed for his impending calamity and he accepted his fate as judgment for something he had no clue about. But God doesn’t take sides. God is on God’s side and radiates love for humanity created to represent the attributes of God’s goodness, not evil. It’s really easy to discern: Good improves life. Evil diminishes life. Good improves the quality of character. Evil corrupts character. Good elevates people seeking good. Evil downgrades and degrades good people. According to the scrolls of Scripture and various religious texts; God is good and the devil is evil. But the question persists among those who fear the unknown. What side is God on?

Trouble is an uninvited foe that terrorizes the life out of its innocent victims. “Man, born of woman, lives but a few days, and they are full of trouble” (Job 14:1). “For evil does not come up from the dust, nor does trouble spring up from the ground, but people are born to trouble, as surely as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:6-7). Like a wild beast, trouble ravishes its prey and feasts sumptuously on the remains of a torn-asunder life. It divides the carcass and devours it until, alas nothing remains. But faint not, for there is meaning in life, even in the midst of trouble. When fate clashes with divine purpose, it produces a way out of trouble. “Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God] has been poured out in our hearts . . .” (Romans 5:3-5a). “No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

In the scenario of heaven, trouble has an assignment and job to do like a sculptor. The idea is to take a lump of shapeless hardened clay out of the ground and place it on the potter’s spinning wheel to shape it (known as throwing) into something beautiful to behold. Trouble Shapes Us In The Hands Of God.

“Shoot for the Moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”(Norman Vincent Peale). That quote should be the aim of life to its fullest. Nevertheless, before we can say that in good conscience, we must address the roadblocks and the biggest roadblock is answering the elusive pervading question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” For that matter, “Why do good things happen to bad people.” Life, at times, seems to be so unfair to us. When we are doing our best, why do things turn out not-so-good? Well, recovery is a process of restoring losses and takes time. I know many of you reading this have been there. It is “actually” a journey towards a better life. But, to get there is a refining process through good and bad that shapes a well-rounded fulfilled life. That’s the aim of those seeking “to live their best life now.” Here’s a formula: CPR.

Normally, we refer to CPR as the acronym for the medical terminology of Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation: A method of reviving arrested heart conditions. Just as a shortage of blood flow to our hearts due to hardened arteries can result in heart attacks, thus requiring CPR, there are times when our faith and spiritual arteries are hardened because of difficulties, frustration, and disappointment and we lose sight of our direction. That too lessens the life-giving flow of faith that can restore the lack of vision in our spiritual hearts and requires a form of resuscitation. The difference is CPR here stands for understanding the Crisis; Pace; and Restoration.

THE CRISIS

A crisis is a turning point that is usually imposed on one’s life at unsuspecting times, leaving us bewildered. We all have crises that we knowingly or unknowingly will encounter. That’s life! A crisis comes with some form of trouble that becomes a problem that we must figure out like a puzzle. The dilemma for many is finding the answer and solution. Many of the problems and troubles we face are out of our control, but the solution is within reach. As a turning point, a crisis requires a decision regarding the direction to take. It’s like coming to a fork in the road. Do we go right or left? Or, can we just pave our own way and go straight ahead? In the simplicity of a spiritually guided life, our faith perspective should provide an answer.

God, in omniscient wisdom (all-knowing), has an answer but are we willing to choose God’s way when we are not sure because, humanly speaking, it doesn’t seem like the best way? That’s where faith comes in and we shouldn’t become pessimistic about faith because all of life requires some level of faith. Faith encompasses all of our decisions in life whether we can see the results or are oblivious to the results. Every day when we wake up, we must make a faith decision to get up and go about our routines. Then it starts all over the next day. Sometimes it may feel like we are in a “time loop,” experiencing “Groundhog Day” or some sort of Deja Vu. We’ve all felt it from time to time.

Faith is believing against all odds and never giving up on one’s dreams for a better life. “Hoping against Hope” means that we have doubts but we still hope. Strong believers still hope when it seems hopeless, like Abraham, the Father of the Faithful. Faith and hope never come without doubt, but faith presses against doubt. In pragmatic terms, it means that we will have mixed emotions about our direction that we must cast aside. But harken, given the complexities of life, there will be challenges that stand in the way of reaching that better life. Faith, like financial investment, requires taking a chance with the possibilities. We don’t think at the moment this way, but when we do think about it, many of life’s decisions are a gamble. That’s risky and most people aren’t willing to take a risk, especially with their money. That brings us to a pertinent point about faith and money. Let’s do some situational analysis of Job’s predicament that will flesh out in the pages to come. His wealth seems to be at the core of his crisis!

It matters not whether we do not believe in God or the devil because it doesn’t change the reality of the verifiable existence of good and evil in the world. Evil is described as destructive and good is constructive. When good things happen, people improve and rejoice. When bad things happen, people cower in the corner of life in fear and become depressed. The question of faith is, is there an entity behind good and evil, and if so, can they be identified? That is, can the influences of people be identified as good or evil, and the answer is an emphatic yes because there are human demagogues.

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In the story of Job, Satan, the enemy of God and humanity appears at the threshold of heaven before God to challenge God’s rule. Can you imagine that in the stellar heavens? Satan’s challenge was twofold: First, Job saw his wealth as approval from God; Second, God protected him with wealth. That was Satan’s argument and it appeared that way from the human perspective, but it wasn’t God’s way. That’s always the backdrop behind our trials and temptations; the confusion of where is this trouble coming from and why. Is God behind our trials or is it the devil? The source will determine your action but it begins with discernment.

Where does our faith lie or what does our faith rest upon? Are we trusting material things above God? That depends on our faith perspective. What has a prominent place in our lives, good or evil? Of course, it usually isn’t seen that way, because it’s an invisible spiritual matter that requires spiritual discernment. So, let’s look at how people are influenced by good or evil.

With every life test comes a temptation, or behind every test from God is a temptation from the devil. The temptation can lure you into taking the shortcut or the easy way out, which can be the wrong way. A test will take you along a route that faces and confronts the problem, which can be the right way. Job chose to take the test and passed in the end. The devil vehemently wants us to fail the test by yielding to the temptation to take the easy way out. God desires us to pass the test, so we don’t have to take it again.

God Uses Trouble To Get Us Out Of Trouble And To Get Us To Where We Need To Be In The Divine Purpose And Plan. Without Trouble, We Would Never Get To Our Place Of Divine Destiny.

As difficult as the previous statement may sound, and the dread of the pain we must endure during a crisis in our human experience, the outcome far outweighs the trial. We will explore how God uses crisis to direct our lives and examine the purpose of trauma and trouble. Is that even possible, to get to the bottom of our problems? I don’t think so because the depth of our problems (as you will see) stretches to heaven. We need God’s perspective and the perspectives of others (negative and positive) to align with the best solution. So, get yourself a good prayer partner. (“Two heads are better than One.”) No one sees the same problem identically. So the answer to the question is no we can’t get to the bottom of every problem, but we can find a solution as we seek answers. The point is being problem-fixated versus solution-oriented. Of course, to fix a problem we must know the causes and those causes will reveal themselves as we progress toward a solution. There is an array of problems that every human being will face, but the difference will be how we pace ourselves through the difficulties.

THE PACE

How you manage your crisis and trouble can be affected by the pace you set for your life.That is, the timeline for hopefully achieving your goals. For example, where do you “believe” you will be in 3-5 years? We’ll talk more about that later but for now, let me put it in my faith perspective, and you can go ahead and put it in your faith perspective too.

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The analysis of pace in one’s life begins by knowing where you’ve come from and how you got started. It’s important and therapeutic to write our memories and recap significant events as far back as we can remember.

Although some are late bloomers, human nature can be defined in terms of chronological development from infancy, through toddlerhood, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood, midlife, and old age. Each stage of human development is about maturing as a responsible adult. One can not achieve spiritual maturity without reaching natural maturity. Natural development is a precursor of spiritual growth. This is why I state that chronological development runs parallel with spiritual maturity. For example, you can’t take a 30-year-old man and expect him to be spiritually mature and responsible when he hasn’t found his identity as a teenager and young adult.

At each critical stage of development, the identity of the person should be established, especially during puberty, otherwise, they can continue in life experiencing an identity crisis and immaturity. Thus, even the Lord went through a rite of passage at 12 years old and was allowed to interact with adults in the Temple addressing leading questions about faith and religion.

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Due to my extensive education process, I tend to use mnemonic devices in the form of acronyms to remember important things. So PACE in that light is “Peace At Christ’s Expense.” The reason is that we need peace of mind or a clear head when it comes to making decisions. Problems, like a natural fog, make it difficult to see your way out. Human logic can become irrational when faced with the complexity of problems and impulsively (on the spur of the moment) make a wrong decision. Emotionally speaking, we must wait until the smoke clears to correctly see the options. So think of peace like a navigation device that can guide you out of a foggy situation. Does your faith perspective give you peace of mind?

The most difficult aspect of our troubles is the waiting period to see what will happen next. During that phase we must wait, like a person on trial, waiting for the verdict from the jury. If you have ever been in court for a misdemeanor or something more serious, you know what I mean. You become filled with anxiety concerning the verdict, and then you have to endure the pain of the outcome of the trial, especially if you are found guilty. But the “good news” of faith in the Lord of Glory is we are not on trial when we go through trials. I know it’s an oxymoron, but, in my “personal” faith perspective, God through the atoning work of the Lord has not “merely” acquitted me of past shortcomings, mistakes, and errors of judgment as past sins, by casting them in the metaphorical “sea of forgetfulness.” God has deleted them. (Here’s something unfathomable: They no longer exist in the Mind of God.) It means in the infinite mind of God, God no longer remembers our sins and does not call them up because God’s purity (referred to as holiness) cannot look upon that which is sin. (“He’s of holier eyes . . .”—Habakkuk 1:13).

God sees every believer in Christ, our Lord as a new creation; if you will, a new species. It is the job of the “Accuser of the brethren” to bring up past sins, so know where condemnation comes from. God “convicts” but doesn’t condemn. Thus, I’ve been set free from past failures, and declared righteous, as though I never committed any wrong. I have a clean slate to work with every day. That’s called “justification” in the plan of redemption: God pardons us and gives us a fresh start every day. My focus is not on my past errors (sins) but on my current opportunity (the freedom of salvation) to get better.

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Life is like a marathon and not like a sprint race competing against “The Joneses” to see who can come in first with their wealth and material things. Most people who participate in a marathon do so, not to try to come in first, but for the joy of finishing the race. In the Lord, it’s not how you start, but how you finish. In God’s Eyes, we want to finish on top of our game because that perspective brings rewards for the task before you when you need it the most.

To finish a marathon race, each runner must know their level of energy and strength, measured strides, and when they need to slow the pace and pick up the pace. Two things should never happen when nearing the finish line: Don’t look to the side or back at your competition or past failures or you might trip up or lose ground, and save some energy for the sprint at the end: That is, the task it will take to transition you to a higher level of living. Breakthrough!

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When we are faced with a crisis or problem, we ask ourselves a multitude of questions that riddle our conscience: How can I get through this mess I’m in? Is it all worth it? Can I maintain my sanity and sense of composure? Will I fall apart and have an emotional or nervous breakdown? Most importantly, can I hold on to my hope? My answer is yes to it all if we can pace ourselves.

Pacing yourself will enable you to experience what I call renewal and revival. Each day can be a new beginning in your life. I call it Restoration.

THE RESTORATION

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again.” The origin of this four-line poem is not clear. Humpty Dumpty was a giant egg, making him fragile. I think we can assume Humpty Dumpty was the king with wealth and power. His fall could mean his defeat by a rival king and that he lacks the power to be put back together by men. His source of help failed him. What do we do when those around us and our faith perspective fail us? Do we turn against the people and lose faith in our God, or do we tap into the reality of life that says, “This too will pass,” repent and forgive and move on?

What a tragic nursery rhyme, to say the least for children! Can you imagine a huge hollow egg-like character, broken into tiny pieces, lying scattered along the ground? Yet, it could be a tragic picture of any of us at any time. Somewhere in life, we can have a “great fall” and experience brokenness or even homelessness because our emotions were damaged and we spin our wheels trying to put ourselves back together in the energy of our depleted strength, without any help from God. It only leads to rationalization and justification of what happened and animosity for those who judged us.

Due to human frailty and faults, more times than not, people will fail us which can cause feelings of brokenness. Then we try different means of putting ourselves back together, which become coping mechanisms. It could be drugs, alcohol, sex, gluttony, gambling, greed for wealth by any means, etc. But sooner or later that will fail too and compound our problems with more emptiness.

I don’t know the circumstances and situations that people reading this have faced in their journey through life. But I do know what can happen when people stand on the outside looking in and misjudge what they see on the inside, or the consequences of what happened and misunderstand the person and their situation. Sometimes those misunderstandings can lead to betrayal and people who come into the misunderstood person’s life, can betray them, turn their backs on them, and walk out of their lives with misconstrued information about them that turns into gossip and rumors. That hurts deeply that I call “the Judas Effect.” It lends to brokenness and we can feel like Humpty Dumpty: defeated in life.

God Provides The Way Through “Steps Of Faith” To Complete Our Lives

According to the sacred text, God desires to mend our lives. “Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own estimation; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. This will bring healing to your body, and refreshment to your inner self” (Proverbs 3:6-8).

As I close this section, James Baldwin puts the restoration process in a hard perspective of mutual relationships: “I think you owe it to me as my friend to fight me, to let me get away with nothing, to force me to be honest, to allow me to take no refuge in rage or in despair. . . and of course, I owe you the same. This means we are going to hurt each other’s feelings from time to time . . . .” A real friend will tell you the gut-wrenching truth and hurt your feelings because they know it is part of the healing process. It’s like an oyster that produces a pearl of great price. When a mere grain of sand penetrates the hard outer shell of an oyster, over time, the oyster will attempt to remove the painful annoyance of the sand with an inner substance that produces a pearl.

To be restored by God means first and foremost healing spiritually and emotionally. Then, and only then, will God bring us into the place of temporal blessings where we receive compensation (Rewards Like Job) with better people and things than we lost. Why? Because God knows when we become responsible we can handle the things God blesses us with as stewards of what God has entrusted to us. God will not allow blessings to be squandered which is why we don’t receive some of the things we want (James 4:3-9). God provides what we need and will give us what we want when we manage what we have for God’s purpose and plan that will enhance our lives and stand out as witnesses to Yahweh-Yireh, the Lord will provide, thus glorifying the Lord.

NOW, JOIN ME ON THE REST OF THIS JOURNEY AS WE, TOGETHER, PICK UP THE BROKEN PIECES OF LIFE.

NEXT: THE CHALLENGE!!!