The List of Five
Dare to Bring Your Empty Hands
I was in middle school in a small Christian school. Many of us had been together since the very early grades. A girl who had been in our class moved away to another state. The following year, she wrote a letter to the class. A teacher read it aloud. In her letter, she mentioned how much she missed ”everyone” naming more than a few classmates.
I remember feeling embarrassed and exposed when the letter ended and my name was not mentioned. Of course, being a self-conscious and insecure adolescent has a way of heightening the importance of even the smallest event. (Please don’t read this thinking I have moved past all self-consciousness and insecurity. I haven’t.)
On that day, I was focused on my name - on hearing my name.
My name has evolved. My birth certificate says that my name is “James.” As a child, both at home and at school, I was called “Jimmy.“ At some point early in college, my name became “Jim.” Yet, today on most personal legal documents, I sign “James.” One day when I die, the name on my headstone in the cemetery will probably be “James.”
Your name is known by the living God. You are precious to him. He has the most intimate knowledge of your life, even down to knowing how many hairs are on your head (Mt. 10:30).
He says to his people (Isaiah 41:10):
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
He knows your name, your thoughts, your feelings, and yes, all that you have said or done. Yet, even with full knowledge of who you are, he still desires a close, intimate relationship with you, through his son Jesus. To each one of us, he still says, “Come” (John 6:35).
Maybe it is just me, but at times, I have shown more concern as to what others might think about me than what God might think about me. Can you relate to this?
I may want others to know that I am worth knowing. Examples:
I may perceive myself as important. Look at my title. Look at my network. Look at my important job.
I may perceive myself as someone who ought to be noticed in some way. For some people this means hoping that others might see them as attractive, handsome, youthful, desirable, etc.
I may perceive myself as successful. Look at my salary, my car, my house. Look at the neighborhood we live in. Look at what I’ve done in my life and where I’ve been.
Perhaps this is our attempt to stay in control and create the image we want. Yet, this way of managing our lives is typically a dead-end street.
What if instead, we looked to God as the source of the nourishment and life that we need? Know this:
God carries you in his arms and holds you close to his heart (Isa. 40:11). Just listen to the affection he has for you! God is with you! God wants your empty hands.
God will give strength to you and me when we are weary and will bless us in our weakness (Isa. 40:28-29). Unlike myself, he is not stressed or tired. Don’t try to prove how strong you are! God wants your empty hands.
God encourages us not to fear. He will help us and uphold us (Isa. 41:13). God wants your empty hands.
Sometimes, very early in the morning, I hold my empty, outstretched hands in front of me as I pray. This is a reminder to me that I have no room for pride in approaching God but am completely dependent on his provision. Yet, this awareness is exactly what God wants from me — and you.
How Do You Deal With Challenges?
I watched at the way this leader functioned with the group. Instead of inspiring confidence, he created more anxiety. He had a nervous laugh that often came out at inappropriate times. If there was a problem that needed to be addressed, his language sometimes escalated the situation. He regularly referred to various organizational problems as “disasters” or “tragedies.” This only served to heighten the anxiety of the group.
Meanwhile, I watched as another person led a group. He had a calming effect on the group and led these people in effective problem solving. He listened well, inspired hope, and was very effective.
“Why is it that certain people seem to naturally inspire confidence, loyalty, and hard work, while others (who may have just as much vision and smarts) stumble, again and again?” Warren Bennis and Robert J. Thomas asked this question in their article, “Crucibles of Leadership” (Harvard Business Review - 2002). They concluded that the answer was found in how these leaders dealt with extreme physical or psychological challenges. Bennis and Thomas observed:
One of the most reliable indicators and predictors of true leadership is an individual’s ability to find meaning in negative events and to learn from even the most trying circumstances. Put another way, the skills required to conquer adversity and emerge stronger and more committed than ever are the same ones that make for extraordinary leaders.
Whether we perceive ourselves to be leaders or not, we need to be aware of how we tend to deal with adversity.
How do we respond to these life challenges?
Physical/health challenges (chronic pain, a debilitating illness)
Marital challenges (deception, affairs, perhaps the commitment on the part of one or both spouses is waning)
Financial challenges (job loss, living above our means, poor investments)
Emotional challenges (depression, intense anxiety)
Spiritual challenges (deep wounds from a church quarrel, an unexpected death)
Will we respond with faith? Will we develop the grit, stamina, and perseverance that comes from trusting God in the middle of these challenges?
When facing adversity:
Bring the adversity before God in prayer naming the problem and honestly expressing it’s impact on you.
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? (Psalm 13:1-2)
Yes, pray for relief. But let us also pray that we might allow this adversity to form us into God-like people.
Let us trust in God’s “unfailing love” (Ps. 13:5) Our adversity does not change God’s character. His unfailing love is still present.
Know that the Lord’s goodness will ultimately prevail. We can praise him for his goodness (Ps. 13:5-6).
I suspect you know everything I have just mentioned. There is no “secret” to dealing with adversity or challenges. Rather, we need to go back to what we might know and allow our souls to be shaped by this God-centered perspective.
A Moment That Inspires Me to Be Kind
Did you see the video of the Little League pitcher who hit an opposing batter in the head with a pitch? This took place at the Little League Southwest Regional Championship in Waco, Texas. The 12 year old batter, Isaiah Jarvis was hit by a baseball in the head, leaving him lying on the ground. The pitcher, Kaiden Shelton, was clearly shaken.
Isaiah was apparently ok and made his way to first base to the applause of the crowd. Then seeing that Kaiden was shaken, Isaiah left first base and made his way to the pitcher’s mound. He hugged this opposing player and attempted to console him. They appeared together the next morning in an interview on CNN:
"I wanted to go over there and spread God's love and make sure that he's OK, and make sure that he knows that I'm OK and that I'll be OK," Isaiah told CNN Wednesday morning, appearing on "New Day" alongside Kaiden.
"Hey, you're doing great," Isaiah said in a video that's gained widespread attention as strangers everywhere have praised the young man's show of sportsmanship.
"It felt like he cared," Kaiden said when asked about Isaiah's hug. "I also cared about him, and that just showed that baseball is sportsmanship -- there's a lot of sportsmanship in baseball.”
You might watch this video (below) even if you have already seen the actual scene from the game. In this video, both players talk about the moment.
The video went viral. I think there is something in us that longs to see goodness in most any form. On that day, it was in the form of sportsmanship.
Perhaps this is a reminder to not pass up opportunities for kindness. This week, we may just have such an opportunity.
Our Present Opportunity (especially for ministers and other church leaders)
Frederick Buechner died recently. Buechner, a prolific author, was someone whom I read regularly as a young minister. I first became acquainted with Buchner’s work many years ago at a preaching conference where a speaker read from Buechner’s book Telling the Truth (p. 23):
The preacher pulls the little cord that turns on the lectern light and deals out his note cards like a riverboat gambler. The stakes have never been higher. Two minutes from now he may have lost his listeners completely to their own thoughts, but at this minute he has them in the palm of his hand. The silence in the shabby church is deafening because everybody is listening to it. Everybody is listening including even himself. Everybody knows the kinds of things he has told them before and not told them, but who knows what this time, out of the silence, he will tell them?
The quote is a reminder that the preaching moment matters.
If you preach, you are in some way attempting to help people discover or re-discover God. (Even if you are not a “preacher” but you are a Christ-follower, the same is true.)
At times, the preacher may feel sluggish and tired, but the preaching moment matters. There are times when the preacher may feel discouraged and down. Even then the preaching moment matters.
My nourishment will probably not come from the next great idea about church or the story that is sure to get a laugh.
Maybe the very best thing I can do, when I don’t have much “left in my tank” is to sink my roots deep into Scripture or another resource that will point me to God. My nourishment will come as I sink my roots down into the character, goodness, and grace of God and quietly remain there. (As my good friend, Mike, recently noted, more ministers need to return to the writings of people like Eugene Peterson.)
Right now, we can keep on discovering God and his son Jesus Christ. Then as we preach or teach, we help those whom we serve, discover this same God.
Reading and Listening Resources
I recently finished reading Jay Kim’s book, Analog Christian: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age. The book is a refreshing call to life with the fruit of the Spirit.
I am also listening to David McCullough’s book (audio) The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris. What a wonderful book!
Scott Sauls has written an excellent article, “Some Indispensable Things I’ve Learned From Tim Keller,” (June 19, 2020).
Be sure to read the outstanding article by David Brooks on Frederick Buechner. See “The Man Who Found His Inner Depths” in The New York Times, August 18, 2022.
Each Thursday/Friday, I post about ten tweets especially for ministers and other believers as they anticipate Sunday. You can find me @jimmartin.
I serve as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tennessee. Every other Monday morning, I publish this “Encouragement Note.” You can subscribe at jimmartin.substack.com. You can also find me on Facebook - @jim.martin or Instagram - @jimmartin.jm. My e-mail address is: jmartin9669@gmail.com. Feel free to write. I would love to hear what is encouraging or helpful. — Jim Martin
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