“God is more powerful than anybody’s past, no matter how wretched. He can make us forget – not by erasing the memory but by taking the sting and paralyzing effect out of it.” Jim Cymbala in Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

Those words came to mind tonight as I reflected on my weekend call as a chaplain.

It’s hard sometimes to get that breath of fresh air when I’m on call. The pager directs my every move, including when I sleep and eat. I have learned to prioritize, to say to a nurse, “I won’t be able to come for another hour” when I’m already on a critical case, or to try and juggle two serious cases at once. And I’ve learned that no matter how bad things are, I have to get away for a few quiet moments to re-group and then get back in the mix.

But Cymbala’s word go beyond getting a second wind. In fact, they point to the way we can only function consistently beyond our understanding, in spite of our pasts. God makes it possible for us to do/go/speak beyond our natural capabilities. God gives the energy to face impossible circumstances, difficult decisions, painful memories.

And only God brings that Fresh Wind to our souls which revitalizes and encourages.

Today I lived in a wind tunnel of God’s refreshing Spirit. Not because I’m a super-hero. (My family reads this blog. They would quickly tell you otherwise.) Not because I’m a perfect chaplain. (I’m not. I probably blew it several times today.)  And not because I have the five perfect steps to the Happy Christian Life (as if they existed.)

Nope. It’s simply because I started the day at the hospital with a simple prayer:

Lord, help me. Fill me. Use me.

Whenever we take God out of the occasion or the equation, we are left to flounder in our own plans. I can’t live that way any more.

“…We need God. He’s not looking for smart people, because He’s the smart one. All He wants are people simple enough to trust him.” (Jim Cymbala)

That’s where I’ll try to live tomorrow, too. Join me.