The Party's Over

The other day I had a “pity party.”  Not a big party, or I would have invited you folks, but a smaller one in which I basically had a conversation with my own soul and asked: “Why are you down?”  Certainly I’m not the only person to feel this way.  The Psalmist asked: “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?”

One contemporary translation puts it this way: “Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues?”

If I were a songwriter, I could put that to music.

I think too much introspection can be dangerous, but I traced back to the roots of what I thought might have brought this on.

Life itself can eat away at you and wear you down. In my case, there was concern for my wife Nedra, other interpersonal relationship issues, money pressures, a recent diagnosis of skin cancer (again), a family member facing the prospect of death, work related questions, and an overall malaise that I found difficult to define.

However, I believe these musings of mine are overheard by a God who knows every meditation of my heart and as a matter of fact my life is God's prayer.

I didn’t expect an angel to show up or have a supernatural vision; sometimes we just need to be encouraged by real flesh and blood people who live on this planet.

A few days later I received a voice mail from a friend of many years, who knew nothing of my musings. It was as if he had been sitting in on my ruminations. He said he was just driving around and wanted to tell me in an almost prescient way:

“Scott, you may feel disconnected, but I want you to know that I appreciate you, and your support for me over the years; you have been a good friend, an example, and I’m happy to know you. And I thank you for introducing me to Jesus all those years ago.”

Wow.

He asked for nothing.

A few days later I received an e-mail from out of the blue from another friend I had not seen in years. Allow me to share with you some of the thoughts my friend Dick shared with me. 

“Scott, I (recently) complimented you on your great writing skills.  When I did, I realized that I was telling everyone else, but not telling you.  Scott, you are a very good writer, and I always enjoy reading your stuff.  Cogent, well articulated, insightful, perceptive, honest, uplifting and encouraging.  Well done, my friend.  You are putting the significant communication skills God has given you to good use, and I for one am very grateful to you and appreciative of your fine work.

We sure do miss you guys, and can’t seem to put it together schedule-wise to get up your way for a visit.  It would be wonderful to have some time for fellowship and catching up on our many years of history together. Do you realize that all those events took place almost 40 years ago now?  Impossible!   It was a time I will never forget, and never cease to thank the Lord for. 

Great memories.  In fact, every time I write to you, it sets off a chain reaction of wonderful memories of times that the Lord has sovereignly opened up in our lives for us to be together.  What a priceless gift of friendship we have been able to enjoy.  Now if we could only get just a little more of it on a more regular basis...” 

My pity party was over.

Let me ask you to take a few moments and do what my friends did for me...encourage one another. We all need it.

But don’t procrastinate.