Are You Ok?

Feb 22, 2022

"Afterward the LORD asked Cain, 'Where is your brother? Where is Able?'

'I don't know,' Cain responded, 'Am I my brother's guardian?'"

- Moses, Genesis 4:9

"I think tears relieve the pressure on my brain so the blood can flow to my heart and I can see what matters more clearly in that moment."

- A young girl whose heart was broken

Knowing the stuff that truly matters is the difference between a foolish man and a wise woman. Knowing what matters is often the difference, over the long haul, between a life that works and a life that's wrecked. We have to train ourselves to see what matters most in every stage of our life because…

...You'll be sad and you'll be happy...

...You'll be broke and you'll be whole...

...You'll lose and you'll win...

...You'll be sick and you'll be healed...

...You'll be lost and you'll be found…

So build your life on what doesn't move… Jesus!

A couple days a week, I work in a huge shop that's filled with a lot of brilliant young mechanics that work on heavy equipment like bulldozers, excavators, wheel loaders. 15,000-pound overhead cranes lifting a diesel engine the size of my truck fifteen feet in the air and then lowering it into a 657 Earth Mover are daily occurrences. Because there are obvious, inherent risks, we have created Culture of Safety protocols that we go over in weekly ToolBox Talks to minimize and manage those risks. But… --it still happens!

Last week, a young mechanic was using a huge pipe wrench to try and break a rusted, frozen nut, the size of a dinner plate, loose from a massive cylinder when… suddenly… the tool snapped… broke in two… sending a four foot piece of three inch steel spinning high up into the air. It was a dicey situation. The silence that followed was broken by one question…

The Lead supervisor asked, "Are You OK?!"

"Yeah," the mechanic replied quietly. "I'm pretty shook up, but no one was hurt… I'm grateful!"

This is what struck me: the first question was not…

..."How much did that tool cost?"... or

..."What stupid mistake did you make that caused that accident?"... or

..."What were you thinking?"... or

..."What should you have done different?"

Now, don't misunderstand… all those questions were asked. But the first question that was asked was, "Are You OK?!" ‘Cause that's what Jesus said matters most!

I love the scene that Jesus painted in Luke 15 when the prodigal son is returning home. You remember… the kid dissed his father, partied away his inheritance in Vegas on hookers and slot machines, and now he's returning home… With mud on his face… a big disgrace! And what does his father do? I mean, if he was like most fathers, he'd have an attitude…

..."You brought this on yourself"...

..."You been actin' like a fool!...

..."I told you the day you left you'd end up broke and alone!"...

..."You've embarrassed me, the family, yourself"...

..."You deserve to be where you are!"

Oh, it woulda been a good time to say that… if this father didn't know what mattered most! Instead…

While he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran… He Ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him"...And [I believe] whispered, "Are you OK?!"

- Luke 15:20 (paraphrased)

The father didn't make it hard for the son, even though the father was right! He didn't even make the son meet him halfway. He ran to the son and exclaimed, "This is my son, who was lost and now is found!” So the party began (v. 24, paraphrased). ‘Cause… this is what matters! That's what matters!...

..."What happened to the money?"... That doesn't matter.

..."Why were you with those hookers?"... That doesn't matter.

..."Why were you with those Gentile losers in that pigsty?"... That doesn't matter.

The only thing that matters is… "Are you OK?"

Listen, if it hasn't happened yet for you… it will. Those late night phone calls from a son… from a daughter…

..."Dad, I'm in trouble!...

..."Mom, I've been in an accident!"...

..."Dad, I've wrecked the car!"...

..."Mom, I did something really stupid!"...