My Huh Moment

Gilda Radner was the funniest woman ever on Saturday Night Live. She was in the original cast and I believe she set the standard for every woman—and every man—who has ever been on the show since.

One of her funniest characters was Judy Miller, a live-wired little Brownie who would turn her bedroom into a studio in which to host her own variety show. The frenetic pace of the show would build and build until Judy (Gilda) would eventually be slamming herself into the door of her bedroom, at which point her offstage mother would be yelling, “Judy! What’s going on in there?”

Judy would freeze in place, look around bewildered as if she had no idea what had just happened, and reply, “Nothing.”

Yesterday I had an epiphany. We often call those “aha moments,” but we don’t actually say, “Aha!” At least I don’t. What I usually say is, “Huh.” And then, “How ‘bout that.” And that’s what I did yesterday. I was driving in my car and suddenly said, “Huh.”

I’ve been carrying around a very deep pain for several weeks. It’s a problem that has hurt and troubled me for a while and the longer I’ve carried it the deeper it has drilled down into my heart. I won’t go into the details here, mostly because I don’t want you to isolate the specifics. I want you to get the point that I was carrying it around . . . and there was absolutely nothing I could do to fix it.

My “Huh” moment yesterday came when I realized that I was being Judy Miller. I was slamming myself up against a door for absolutely no reason. It was doing me no good to worry about the problem and it was doing the other person involved no good either. It wasn’t fixing the problem and, worst of all, it was robbing me of my joy.

So I thought, Huh, I can let this go. How ‘bout that. I don’t have to keep throwing myself up against a problem that I can’t fix just to keep frustrating myself and feeling swallowed up in pain. And the minute I realized that, I felt the chains around my heart break. I could practically hear them snap! And the grace of God flowed in and filled my heart with peace . . . the shalom kind of wholeness that I had been missing for weeks. And I looked around and thought, Oh my goodness, what a beautiful day! (I know that sounds corny, but I just report the truth; I don’t invent it.)

God will give us the grace and the strength to handle anything in our lives to which he has called us. But there is no grace for those things that are not ours to carry.

If you are carrying a load that is not yours . . . if you are feeling guilty for something that is not your responsibility or worrying about something for which someone else is accountable . . . turn it loose. Lay it down. It is not your burden. You can still pray about the situation and love the people unconditionally. But you are not responsible for their actions or choices.

Allow the love and the joy of the Lord to fill your heart with peace as you become the person you are called to be and live the life you were created to live. Jesus Christ has set you free and you are free indeed.

Huh. How ‘bout that.

Symbols

Whenever Americans view photographs or video images of the New York skyline taken between 1973 and 2001, they cringe at the sight of the World Trade Center towers for they all know what happened there in September of 2001. The buildings themselves were not to blame for the events, but they were the site of one of the greatest tragedies in American history. The towers themselves have come to symbolize the heartbreak of terrorism invading our beloved homeland.

The cross is likewise a symbol of a history-changing event and prompts an emotional response for many people. It is the Christian symbol of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The cross itself was not to blame for the death of Christ, but it was there that he suffered and died for our sins and won the final victory over the bondage of sin in our lives. When a Christian views the cross, he or she is reminded of the event that forever changed the relationship between God and humanity and the triumph that Jesus won once and for all.

 

This Easter, as we once again celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, may we remember that this conquest over sin was complete and for all time. It was not just a first step in a battle; it was the end of the war. Jesus emerged from the grave as Divine Conqueror. His triumph over sin was for all humanity, for the rest of history.

Years ago I read a book by Hannah Whitall Smith called The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life. The truth that this brilliant woman kept emphasizing is that Jesus saves me now and he completely saves me. I don’t have to wait for some eventual salvation from sin and its bonds in my life…he has saved me from the moment I ask for and receive his salvation. And that salvation is not some halfway or partial work in my life; he didn’t do all that he did on earth, on the cross, and through the gates of hell just for me to continue to slog through the muck of sin day after day. No! He came to deliver me from all of that bondage NOW!

Some of you still haven’t figured out what I’m talking about. Some of you are afraid to believe me. But some of you DO know what I’m talking about and have tears in your eyes because you know it’s true. This is not about judgment or telling you that you have to be a better person…this is about the grace of God reaching out to take your life and make it into something better that you couldn’t even dream about before.

I am praying that these words will remind you that Jesus went through everything we celebrate this week to do something amazing. The cross…that symbol of the crucifixion of Jesus…is not about death; it’s about LIFE.

I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;

    I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and will make you

    to be a covenant for the people

    and a light for the Gentiles,

to open eyes that are blind,

    to free captives from prison

    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. (Isaiah 42:6-7)