June 2026
Nevertheless, Not As I Wish…
From the Language of Youth to the Language of the Bible
Something I loved most about raising teenagers was listening to their language and asking them about it.
I learned something new, a lot! Today my teens are in their 30s but I still work with some younger people who
speak the language of today. What I’m learning is that it may sound different, but when it comes down to it,
we’re pretty much saying the same thing!
Adulting - carrying out the everyday, mundane tasks and responsibilities expected of a mature, independent individual. A real word in today’s youth vocabulary and though I am not a youth, I can vouch for their laments. It is hard. Maybe not for everyone, but for me, it has definitely had its ups, downs, long and winding roads, forks in the road and bridges to nowhere. There is so much to be responsible for in the grown-up life. So much to make sure about, get it done, take care of and don’t let it get too far down the road. When we’re young, we want to get older to experience what we think adulting is all about. We want to drive, eat what we want, have a boyfriend or girlfriend, live alone, and wear what we choose. We want to do what we want to do! What we don’t know is that those words have responsibilities attached to them that can suck some of that fun out of doing those things. Words like, insurance, groceries, taxes, rent and mortgage. The parts of adulting that make it hard. And less fun.
Crash out – To have an intense, uncontrollable emotional outburst. Another word I learned from young
people. I had one today – a crash out, that is. I cried uncontrollably and intensely for a good 20 minutes. This
morning life didn’t feel like I was cruising down the street, wind at my back, headed to eat, do, or wear whatever I wanted! It felt like I was running in circles trying to hold all the pieces of responsibility that are mine to carry. I thought about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Adulting. Carrying the weight of all of our sins to the Cross of Calvary. Enduring as long as He had and knowing there was much more directly in front of him.
I thought of Jesus Christ and I was comforted. Why? Because I realized I wasn’t overreacting or behaving childishly. Jesus had a crash out himself. Let’s read it,
Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:44.
When Jesus was doing the work that was set before him to do, when He was adulting, he had a period of intense emotional reaction. Look at the words, anguish, fervently, sweat, blood…Jesus had a crash out and God did not impugn him for it! He just waited. And eventually Jesus came around. At the end of his impassioned prayer he said, “Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.” I got there too. After a while the tears subsided, I stopped lamenting and pulled myself back together to face the day ahead of me.
What’s crashing you out in life right now? Is adulting feeling hard and joyless? If so, take courage, our Father has big shoulders, that can handle our big emotions. Just make the last words of
your prayer match Jesus’, “Nevertheless, not my will…
Pastor Crystal
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May 2026
Do We Have Mercy And Compassion For Others?
We read in Matthew 18:33 – ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way
that I had mercy on you?’
Another word for mercy is compassion.
The above verse is part of a story the Lord Jesus told His disciples as a reply to a question Peter had asked about forgiveness. I encourage you to read the entire passage (Matthew 18:21-35). The question Jesus asks above is one all of us need to carefully consider. How many times in our lives has someone had mercy/compassion on us, whether it was in regard to an illness, financial trouble, a death, loneliness, marital issues, seeking forgiveness, etc? They were available to provide comfort, a listening ear, a helpful suggestion, or just to sit and be present as we pour our hearts out to them. In some cases, they forgave us without a second thought. When those times occurred, weren’t we grateful for the mercy, compassion and forgiveness shown to us? Conversely, how many times have we shown mercy/compassion to someone in their time of grief or need?
Were we truly there for that person?
Let’s be honest here. None of us are as merciful, compassionate, or forgiving as we could or should be. Where does that lack of caring, empathy, and hardheartedness come from? Simple. We are fallen and flawed humans.
In spite of being saved, we still have sin natures that often rear their ugly heads.
Jesus is teaching us a valuable lesson here. We are to have mercy/compassion on others, no matter the
circumstances. These are foundational attributes of a true, born-again believer. Easier said than done, I know.
Consider the following scriptures:
Deuteronomy 4:31 – ‘For the Lord your God is a compassionate God.’
The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 119:156 - ‘Great are Your mercies, O Lord.’
We read in Lamentations 3:22 - ‘His compassions never fail.’
Colossians 3:12 instructs us to ‘put on a heart of compassion.’
And in James 5:16 – ‘The Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.’
If Almighty God shows mercy and compassion to each of us on a daily basis, and He does, what is our excuse for not showing the same to others?
First Baptist, whom have we shown mercy and compassion to lately?
Pastor Thomas