Good Morning Church — If you saw a dollar bill lying on the ground would you pick it up?

What about a quarter — a dime — would you pick up a penny?

Most of us would pick up the dollar but the coins of lesser value — many will ignore.

But for a dollar?

We will put in the extra effort — bend over and pick it up.

It is the same with so many things in our life.

What we really want — the things we value — are worth exerting the extra effort to obtain.

The things we see as worth / less we won’t even reach down to pick up.

Granted we all have things that are simply gifts — dropped in our lap — talents or benefits we were born with or blessed to be a part of — but what we truly want from life is completely up to us.

Many of us are gifted with the physical stature to be Olympic athletes but unless we want it even the most talented gifted athlete won’t get a chance to compete.

Over the course of the past year I have worked in the Benevolence Center of our church — I’ve seen lives in virtually every circumstance I could image — people going through heartbreaking struggles.

I have had the opportunity to see addicts of every type — seemingly hopeless one minute then joyous in recovery the next — only to fall off the wagon and back into the destructive life they fought so hard to free themselves from.

One of those men — a homeless veteran — is an alcoholic.

The first time we met he stole my heart.

He came in on a Monday — we talked, prayed and cried together as he told me about his life.

His family had been small and now he was alone.

He said Saturday had been his birthday and this was the first year that he was sure no one knew because everyone who had cared about him was gone.

And he was truly alone for the first time.

I told him — he’s never alone — and he said he knew God was with him but he was still so lonely.

He broke my heart

Then he smiled and said “Well at least God gave me a way to forget.”

I must have had a confused look on my face because he picked up a Bible, waved it at me and said, “Sure right in here it tells me to drink to forget my troubles.”

I asked him if he could show me — he couldn’t — and he quickly found a reason to end our conversation and move on.

The scripture he was referring to was in Proverbs

Proverbs 31:7 Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.

One of the many passages from scripture that people often take out of context and quote to justify what they want rather than the lesson it is intended to teach.

So as I began to question him he decided it was time to move on.

In his heart he knew that if we looked too hard at the scripture he was clinging to he would discover it’s true meaning.

Over the course of the past year my friend has visited the center many times. On two occasions it was just after being released from the VA Hospital — completely dried out — sober as a saint — declaring he was not going back to his alcoholic haze.

The first time he failed — the second time? We are still waiting to see which choice he made.

Bottom line?

It’s his choice — even in the loneliness — the homelessness — the choice he makes to stay sober is his.

There are certainly circumstances that would make the choice easier — if he had a supportive family fighting for him — a home to call his own — but ultimately he has to want it.

• Just like a student struggling to make the grade.
• The family trying to pay their bills.
• Or the Christian fighting to stay faithful.

You have to want it — and to be willing to do the things necessary to make it happen — but first you have to really want it.

As I have gotten older I wanted to better understand why my country does what it does.

• The history of how we got here and an understanding of the part my life plays in making it better.
• I wanted the details of history no one taught me in school.
• I wanted to understand the way the government works — but more importantly how it is suppose to work — based on our constitution.

So as I became more interested in those things I sought out anything I could get my hands on to help me get to the place I wanted to be as an American citizen.

The same can be said for the journey I took as I struggled with my faith in God.

I spent many years in a fog of doubt about whether or not God was real or if we were in fact just a spectacular cosmic accident.

As I journeyed down a road filled with sleepless nights and an aching pit inside of my heart — that continued to tell me there has to be more to life than just life — It was only because I truly wanted to believe in God that I never gave up.

My journey wasn’t short — this wasn’t something I resolved in a weekend — it was a ten to twenty year journey.

I questioned if God was real and I met John Clayton. (From the DoesGodExist.org ministry)

He mentored me through faith in a divine creator — convincing me beyond any doubt that God is The Great I AM.

But even with a solid belief in the creator I had so many more questions

Especially concerning why we do what we do as Christians.

• Why we hold up the Bible as scripture.
• Worship the way we do.
• And why Christ had to do what he did.

But I wanted to understand — so I didn’t stop looking.

I share all of this with you this morning to make this one very important point.

What do you really want?

Have you ever really asked yourself that question?

What do you really want?

And I mean beyond the general ‘life’ things I mentioned earlier — what do you want from life?

Just to live it — get through it?

Or to live beyond it?

How many people that read this are where I was for so long — hoping GOD’s real rather than a full conviction HE IS.

Maybe all you need is a surface belief that keeps you from thinking or feeling too deeply — you know there is a God And that’s enough — but is it enough for those who’s paths you cross?

Maybe you will be the only one that ever has a real chance at convincing them THERE IS A GOD!

It’s not a contest or debate.

I’m right you’re wrong.

It is the core of our being that too many of us don’t understand well enough to explain to ourselves much less anyone else.

I mentioned earlier my experiences with those imprisoned by addiction; most of us would not consider that we have anything in common with those poor souls yet we are more like them than you realize — as my friend told me when he shared his favorite scripture — he didn’t drink to feel good — he drank to stop feeling.

I am afraid that’s where we are.

Locked away in a haze of distractions — so we don’t have to feel or think about anything at all — turning up the volume louder and louder to quiet the questions in our mind.

So many questions that we are afraid to answer — because what if — what the world tells us is right — and we have been wrong all along?

We simply don’t want to think about it.

We don’t want to think about what life will be like when the people of faith are outnumbered by a society content with just living life — not thinking beyond the here and the now.

So I ask you again — what do you want? Really really want?

Maybe today turn off the distractions and examine that question for yourself — you may be surprised to find what you really want is more time to simply BE STILL and KNOW — HE IS!

And if you want to — maybe you will find yourself on your own personal journey of awakening not just for your faith but for the faith of those who are looking around and can clearly see — The skies proclaim the work of HIS hands — and they are desperately looking for someone who knows and can show them this life is truly just the beginning.

God Bless!

LaVern Vivio

October 16, 2016