Aeration: Keeping A Lilt In Life
Four attitudes that will help keep joy in the Christian life.
Fred Smith
July 1, 1981
Life needs aerating. It gets heavy; it settles down on us and needs to be lightened up. People should find inspiration and joy in the church, not just new layers of guilt and condemnation. Jesus said, "I have come that you might have joy." True, Christ came to convict of sin, but the Christian paradox is that in this chaotic, tragic world, we can enjoy a life of adventure and excitement.
Many people come to church with deep troubles. Someone estimated about six out of ten sit there with major hurt in their lives. Therefore, I appreciate those speakers, teachers, and pastors who lift people's spirits with inspiration and hope. Of course, spiritual aeration must be more than mere humanism. The "blessed hope" is not guilt but grace; we are forgiven, we are free, we have the fellowship of the body, and an inheritance immortal. We have talents and gifts. We count. Each of us can make a difference where we are.
If this is not true, then we are fakes. If it is true, then why not exult in it, breathe it in and inflate our sagging souls?
What a challenge to face the depressed with this message of hope and help. What a responsibility to spread the light and share the lilt. This opportunity makes Sundays come around too slowly, for we have something to say that will help those desperately in need.
Too often, pastors and teachers read and admire only the great sermons of the famous evangelists without realizing these sermons were for the unsaved, not the regular member bearing the heat of the day. A sermon should apply to those listening. Personally, I prepare my talks by starting at the end, by asking myself what I expect the listeners to know, feel, or do when I quit speaking. This makes me conscious of specific needs, not just thinking ...
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