Note: This is a re-post of a previous entry.  Lately, I have come across more situations in people’s lives that led me to want to offer this encouragement. 

I live in north central Pennsylvania, in a community nestled along the west branch of the Susquehanna River.

Dairy and tobacco farms, many of them owned by the Amish, dot the countryside near my home.  Our area has quite a sizable Amish population.

It is not uncommon for me to pedal by several farms on my reasonably frequent bicycle rides.  I often work at perfecting my lowing sounds as I attempt to communicate with the cows as I pass by while cycling – doing so in my own Dr. Doolittle, talk to the animals fashion.

Few things satisfy me more than an early morning ride, particularly in the summer when the sun rises earlier.  It is here I find quiet and the opportunity to greet the new day as it is starting.

I use the time to pray for my family or a myriad of other concerns, to drink in the views, and to get the day headed in a more positive direction with some exertion.

Although I do not travel this road often, there is a farm about one mile due east of my home that piques my interest.  When I do trek this circuit, I pedal by a gravestone in the oddest of settings.  It marks the border of one specific Amish farm and it is important to me to note it.  It reads:

I have passed the gravestone remembering Amos’ life many times. It always makes me think. Someone thought enough of Amos to recognize that his life had value and to draw attention to the fact that his life was cut short as a result of a tragic circumstance.

My mind drifts to an array of questions:

• “What happened to him?”
• “Did he live on this property?”
• “Who allegedly murdered him?”
• “What were the circumstances surrounding his death?”
• “Was he married?”
• “Did he have family?”
• “Why was he taken out?”

A tombstone is not unusual.  It is the setting in which it rests that lends to the mystique.  The remembrance of his passing is isolated – no one else is buried near him.  His life was destroyed, reason unknown.

Perhaps I am drawn to Amos’ plight as I see myself in his story.  The fact that I am writing this post is evidence that I am still alive and kicking and am not six feet under!

However, there was a time not long ago I was a dead man walking.  Life was crashing in on me from many angles.  My former work setting took me out on many occasions.  Relational tensions ensued.  Financial pressures built.  My day-to-day existence could be summed up in a movie title, Groundhog Day!

I got up, went to work, did my thing, came home, attempted to interact with my wife and children, zoned out on TV, and went to bed – only to repeat the scene over and over and over.   Days became weeks, months, and years.  Life was void of purpose.  I slowly lost heart.

Amos and I share a common denominator – we both were “murdered in this field”. His was physical.  Mine was emotional and centered on my self-worth.

I was not where I thought I should be in life and much like the Tidy Bowl guy, I felt like I was being “flushed” and did not know how to escape the downward pull.  In many ways, I was taken out!

Does any of this resonate with your experience?  

If so, help is on the way! You were never meant to go it alone.  You have value.  There is a seed of greatness inside of you.  Perhaps it is buried so deep it has not seen daylight for a while.  However, it is there!

About the length of a football field past the “Amos” memorial is an auto salvage yard.  Hundreds of cars, trucks, and other things mechanical once proudly driven by their owners are now laid to rest in this rust laden “graveyard” extending several acres beyond the high-walled fencing.

Personified these mangled, wrecked, and no-longer-functional “vehicular lives” appear to have arrived at their eternal destination, with no future worth.

However, they are of much value to the owner of the business and to those seeking a spare part of one sort or another.  There is worth in their “death”.

My mind shifts to John 10:10:

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness”.

At the entrance to salvage yard is a defunct old house encased in ivy, most likely of the poison variety.  To enter the house would be akin to paying a visit to “The Munster’s”.  It’s creepy looking.  Something has to be crawling around in there. You could not pay me enough to go inside!

However, God is always speaking, even when we might not have ears to hear.

Above the doorway, an old license plate is hung – “Jesus Christ is the Answer”.  A poignant message found in the oddest of places. Or perhaps not! Maybe it is hung in the perfect place – a reminder of life amidst things that once held a former glory.
Whether paying respects to Amos’ memory or riding by the junk yard, the message is still alive – Jesus is indeed the Answer!

What things have assaulted your heart today or zapped some life from you? 

• Perhaps it is the loss of a loved one or a negative work situation.
•  Maybe you face financial pressures to the point of suffocation.
• It could be that a strained relationship has got you reeling.
• Let’s dive deeper.  Maybe it is a relationship that once was vibrant and full of promise.  Now, it resembles an imploded building.

Whatever it may be – little by little, your heart has dulled and life has leaked out.  Trust me, I know this too well.

We all face a host of things each day.  If not kept in check, they cause us to lose heart resulting in our own personal stories of murderous proportions.

Cry a little.  Do what you need to do to allow the morning light to once again dawn in your heart.  You are not alone.  You are loved.  If you need help, seek it – there are those who are waiting for the opportunity show you – help is on the way!

What one thing can you do today to take a step in the direction of living, truly living?