what’s a crisis?

Crisis. Have you ever heard that word before? Do you know what it means? Maybe you’re thinking it is when your teenage daughter came home from school, locked herself in her room and started yelling “I’m never talking to her again, not for the rest of my life!”. No, that’s not a crisis. That’s teenage angst. A real crisis is when something terrible happens, either to your country, your family, or to you personally. The first thought you have is, “We have to fix this, what are we going to do? What am I going to do”?
Recently we seem to be inundated with a host of national crises. We have the crisis at the Southern Border, the crisis in Afghanistan, we have the problem of inflation, and of course, problems with our food chain. Each of these is a crisis; some can be fixed, while others will have to wait for the next generation. National crises are very real and can affect us in a very profound way. However, to solve the world’s problems, really isn’t what the Recharge is meant for, rather it’s meant to inspire you to go out and to live each day as a follower of Jesus Christ.
What crises did the first followers of Christ, the disciples, encounter that we can learn from? I’m sure they faced many crises during their travels with the Lord Jesus. I can hear them now: “Food? What food? Where are we getting enough food to feed all these people?” “Oh no! A storm is coming. What are we going to do? Wake up Jesus.” And on and on. If only they realized that the One they followed, was the One who made the very ground they walked on!
In John 13:31-33, we see that the disciples faced another crisis. Jesus had just told them that he would be leaving them, and they could not follow. The disciples were dumbfounded, shocked, and bewildered. “What do you mean we can’t follow you? But you are our leader, our king, our savior”. At that point the disciples were thinking contingency plans. Who is leaving? Who is moving up? But Jesus proceeded to tell them exactly what he wanted them to do, and how they should respond to this crisis. This is where we need to listen and take notes on regarding how to respond to a crisis. Jesus said “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34)
Each of the men who heard him that day knew they were supposed to love their brothers, and yes even their enemies, but just moments before, Jesus had shown them a new way to love one another: servanthood. As Jesus washed the feet of those that he loved and wanted to serve, he told them by this actions, very loud and clear, this is how you can “love one another”. He told them to take their eyes off themselves and to begin loving people. Serve people. Bend your knee, grab the basin, and start washing. Love the way Jesus did, by showing your love, and by sacrificing. This is how to respond to crises.
I pray that you are not going through a crisis today, and if you are, I pray that you will have someone to walk along side of you and to help you through it. A crisis by its very nature can be disorienting, causing the person to become distracted in their thought life. Remember when the disciples had their crisis and they thought they were losing their king? What did Jesus say to them? Love one another, serve one another. Help yourself by helping someone else. Now that you know what a crisis is, you can sit back, and enjoy you day. You already have the solution straight from the mouth of Jesus: “Love one another.” In obeying, you will not only help others but you will also help yourself.