...imagine the possibilities...

It's going to be one of those days.

Bittersweet may be a good description of the day. Today we say good bye to a dear member of our church. She was one of those fixtures that will be greatly missed. Someone not replaceable, not with her gifts, her spirit, her character. She touched many with her encouragement, her correction, her compassion, Jesus' grace. She was a friend to all. She was my friend, and we will miss her deeply.

I mention this because writing a message for a funeral such as this is one of the greatest challenges I face as a pastor. Even though it is an awesome task to speak on behalf of God every week (if that weren't intimidating enough), it is even more challenging to speak a word to catch the character of a person in order to celebrate their life. You always leave something out. It is impossible to describe a life in a half hour or less. In fact its impossible to do it in an entire day. It's an impossible task.

Ever face impossible tasks, impossible odds, things much too difficult for your strength or your spirit, things way outside your comfort zone, things that didn't fit your skill set? Sometimes in this life we get dealt some blows that we wonder how we'll ever survive, and expectations that we can do the impossible. Somehow we have survived, some of those times we've accomplished the tasks and some times we have failed. Yet impossible tasks seem to keep coming our way. How long can we face them and escape with our lives?

"Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." (Matthew 19:26, NLT)

I've been reading this passage this week over and over. I'm using it Sunday for the message and this one verse continues to stick out to me. God is saying something to me through it and I think he is saying it for your benefit even more than mine.

All things are possible!

Not because of us, but because of God. Whatever we face.

Possible.

This is not simple glass-half-full optimism, this is a promise. And it only takes one call.

"Look at this: look who got picked by God! He listens the split second I call to him." God is simply awaiting the chance to help. Every resource in heaven at our disposal, not for our unlimited use, but for our help, to make the impossible, possible. And when we cry out for help we find we "have God's more than enough; more joy in one ordinary day...for God has put [our] lives[s] back together." (Psalm 4:3, 7, 8, The Message)

All of heaven is ready, God on the edge of his seat just waiting for our cries.

And help is on the way.

Peace ><>
PC