The name of our fathers

To carry on the name of our fathers.

That's a lot of weight to carry, I believe. To do well to carry on the legacy that our father and grandfathers have built for us. A weight that I don't believe I'll fully understand until they are away from here, gone to be with the Eternal Father.

Maybe for some of us, our fathers name is something that we want to be rid of, for whatever reason. Maybe he did things that we, by no means, want to be associated with. Or maybe we are nothing but proud of the things that our fathers and their fathers before them have done, leaving us a name to carry with confidence. Either way, we carry that name with us. We also, those of us who follow Jesus, carry the name of our Heavenly Father.

This name is one that we to soon forget about, doing and saying things that do not further his name in the least. It's a name that we often forget we carry. It's the name by which we are saved, and yet we are quick to forget it.

I hope that I am doing all that I can to bring recognition and fame to His name, but I know that far to frequently, that's just not the case.

He gives and takes away

If you know the song "Blessed Be Your Name", or more importantly, know the story of Job from scripture, then you probably recognize the line in the title of this post. The last month or so, and especially this past week, these words have pervaded my thoughts.

Super Summer was this week, which are 7 days that I look forward to with great anticipation every year. This year was far different from any year that I have ever experienced before. Being on executive staff allows one to see another side of super summer, and a lot of times, its the one thats not pretty. Dealing with kids who are supposed to be leaders that are rude to their youth ministers or team leaders, sending kids home for pulling stupid pranks on each other, sending kids home because they became ill or got a spider bite, and sending kids home because of a tragedy in their family are just a few of the 'joys' that come along with the position. I personally didn't send a kid home, but the impact that has on their youth minister, who is being represented by that kid, can be very damaging.

Take those things and then add them to all the junk that has been happening in and to our church lately (deaths of family members, pipes breaking and flooding the sanctuary, air conditioners breaking, property being vandalized), and you have what seems to be a very frustrating and draining situation. These may be some of the things that fit in the category of "the Lord takes away".

While the above things weigh heavy on me and some of my friends, the Lord has not abandoned us, although sometimes it may feel as if he has. I had an amazing week leading worship for our school and I met some new friends. God revealed Himself to me in new ways that help to spur me on in this journey to follow and become like Christ. For that I am thankful.

All of this reminds me of a scripture that a friend pointed me to during my parents divorce. I'll leave you with the passage from 1 Corinthians chapter 1.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.