Under Pressure

March Madness begins in earnest tomorrow. Over the next two days 64 basketball teams will take the floor, and by Sunday night it will be whittled down to the sweet sixteen. Over the next two weekends after that more teams will be eliminated until there is a champion crowned.  I do love me some basketball!

            There is an inordinate amount of pressure placed on the backs of young men and women between the ages 18 and 23 as they play this weekend. In both the men’s and women’s brackets will be upsets. Teams that no one expected to be here are trying to take that next step. And there are great expectations on the favorites. 

            In life we all face pressure.  Some people seem to have a handle on that. Their hair is always in place. They are dressed impeccably.  They drive the right cars and live in the right homes.  They seem to have it altogether.

            Then there are those who look like they’ve been, “rode hard and put up wet,” as the old saying goes.  They are clearly disheveled, obviously rattled, and absolutely overwhelmed by the situation at hand. 

            Sometimes I wonder.  Are those who look so calm and collected really so?  Or is it possible that ulcers, high blood pressure and heartburn are resting just under the surface?  Are they hurting, and yet hiding that fact?

            I think I’ve discovered one of the major problems we have in our churches.  We believe that we are supposed to have it altogether all the time, and so even when we don’t, we try to act as if we do.  We think that makes us all the more attractive. In reality people look at us and think they can never live up to the appearances we project.  And so many in need look in other places for joy and peace.

            Here’s the truth of it all. The church is not a place for those with no needs. Rather it is where we ought to be able to go to find relief and help.  We are all sinners in need of God’s grace.  As Jesus said in John 15, “Without me you can do nothing.”  Some don’t like that idea at all.  It indicates that we are broken without Him.  And indeed we are.

            But Paul said something we all need to hear. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Please quit trying to do it alone. Depend on the One who can help us do all things.