Fading Like the Mist

If you have ever found yourself at a rustic cabin overlooking a lake in a river valley, chances are you have seen mist hovering above the surface of the earth. This built-up condensation comes in the night due to temperature change and eventually dissipates into the air over time. One can try to sit and watch the entire dissipation process, but if any distractions pop up on your radar, the likelihood of watching this process quickly diminishes like the mist.
Life has many distractions. We are all constantly juggling busy schedules, time with family, and social events. The problem is when we get tunnel-vision and allow these distractions to impact certain opportunities or relationships. It is far too easy to get caught up in our own little worlds and allow portions of our lives that were once important to drift away.
In some individuals who have experienced the negative impact of too many distractions in people's lives, a fear of being forgotten develops within the soul. In the message at Saucon Community Bible Fellowship Church on Sunday, the pastor spoke on this topic as it relates to Paul when he was imprisoned in Rome. In Acts 24, Paul goes on trial before Felix and expresses his innocence. Because Felix was acquainted with the philosophies of Christianity, when he sent Paul back to his cell in prison, "He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him freedom and to permit his friends to take care of his needs." (Acts 24:23). After a few days, Felix then went with his wife to see Paul and listen to him speak about faith in Jesus. Because Felix came to listen to Paul teach, it probably gave Paul a sense of hope that he was changing this man's heart towards following Christ, which would help Paul's case. Unfortunately for Paul, Felix grew scared once the topics of righteousness, self-control, and future judgement came up and requested that Paul be sent away. Instead of focusing on Paul's teachings about Christ, Felix was more focused on pleasing the Jews and saving his own reputation. He constantly sent for Paul so that they could speak, but the desire within his heart was that Paul would offer him a bribe to make his decision easier. In the end, Felix chose to forget about Paul and let him fade from his memory because he would rather do a favor to the Jews and leave Paul in prison.
A similar story about being forgotten can be found in Genesis 40. The setting was Pharaoh's prison, which was where Joseph was being kept. Two men who worked for Pharaoh offended him and were quickly imprisoned and placed with Joseph. Both men began having dreams, but had nobody to interpret them. Joseph offered to interpret the dream of the cupbearer, and explained how he believed "Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position" (Genesis 40:13). Upon giving his interpretation of the cupbearer's dream, Joseph made one simple request. In Genesis 40:14, Joseph says, "But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison." On the third day, we come to find that Joseph was correct in his interpretation of the cupbearer's dream and he is soon restored by Pharaoh. But because the cupbearer was selfishly consumed by his own happiness and good fortune, we find in Genesis 40:23 that, "The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him."
These stories in the Bible are good references to how people who help others out can so easily be forgotten by those they have assisted because these people become distracted by their own selfish desires. From this, we must learn that we cannot control people or circumstances; we cannot know what is within another's heart, or how they truly feel. This becomes very apparent when analyzing Jeremiah 17:9, which states, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" When you feel that there has been an injustice against you, instead of being tempted to say, "I don't deserve this," or feeling compelled to retaliate, or desiring to fight for control in your situation, pray to the Lord first. Psalm 34:17-19 says, "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all." The Lord is in fact the one who has control over all things in your life and knows what experiences and hardships will help benefit your growth spiritually and emotionally. We should always pour our hearts out to the Lord, though he knows all of your joy, pain, and suffering even before the words leave your lips. He knows why you have fears and insecurities, but not until you personally request the Lord's help can He begin to guide you in the correct direction.
One fear that we all hold in our hearts is that we will be forgotten. Try to learn from the experiences of Paul and Joseph in order to avoid creating a situation where you are so engrossed in your own desires that you allow an opportunity or relationship to fade like the mist. And if you ever find yourself in the role of that fading mist in someone's life, cry out to the Lord in the hopes of being restored before you drift off and fade to a mere memory in that person's life.