Yes Never Came

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOrBI-b5wT0

Each new year brings with it a certain kind of hope and as 2018 begins, I find myself thinking about the first few days of 2017.  Back then, I was flipping through late night TV and just happened to see a program from mega-church televangelist, Joel Olsteel.  I was very much aware of who he was but had never actually watched any of his sermons before.  He spoke about the new year and said “yes” was coming.  According to him, we would finally get the things we were yearning for if we had faith.  Doors that were closed to us for such a long time would suddenly be opened in 2017.  He sounded so positive and upbeat, I decided to hear more of what he had to say just to see how over-the-top his promises would be.

Mr. Olsteen gave the example of a woman who had applied for a dream job but had doubts she would ever be hired.  While taking a taxi, she shared her concerns with the driver who later on just happened to give a ride to the person whose job it was to hire someone for that same company.  The taxi driver put in a good word for the woman and miraculously, she was hired thanks to that chance meeting with the taxi driver.  Joel Oltseen then pondered the slim odds of such a thing happening in a big city and chalked it up to God's unseen hand.

It had me thinking about a story in my college's alumni newsletter from many years ago.  A recent graduate flying out to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry just happened to be seated right next to a movie producer.  The two of them started talking and discovered they both went to the same college.  By the end of the flight, the graduate was invited to work at the movie producer's company.  The article was supposed to highlight the college's networking potential but I can tell you from personal experience, such occurrences are probably very rare.

When people make promises that sound too good to be true, they only need to be right every now and then.  The alumni newsletter will never feature graduates who still struggle to find their dream jobs or who gave up looking altogether.  The Youtube video for Joel Olsteen's sermon is filled with comments praising his remarks.  They said that after watching the program, “yes” happened to them as well.  I'd be interested to know how many people yearned for “yes” in 2017 but then didn't find it.

Mr. Olsteen adds one little caveat.  We can't be negative.  In the sermon, he mentions a couple who've been trying to have a baby for years.  He says if you have the attitude that it will never happen, then “yes” won't come.  You have to believe and put your “yes” next to God's “yes” in order for miraculous things to occur.  This seems like a convenient cop out for Joel Olsteen because if any of his followers fail to get what they hoped for in the new year, he can always blame it on their weak faith.

Even though I tend to be negative, I'm still hopeful that the long-closed doors in my life will somehow open.  Guess what happened in 2017?  That “yes” Joel Olsteen said was on its way never came.  His optimistic sermon reminded me of candidate Donald Trump.  Make many uplifting promises to build up people's hopes and don't worry if they never come to pass.  According to Mr. Trump, defeating ISIS was going to be so easy and would only take months.  Tell that to recent casualties of a terrorist attack on Save the Children in Jalalabad.  Stopping a fanatical ideology won't be so easy no matter how optimistic our president is.

I've had priests say negativity leads us away from Christ but there are many times when advice in the Bible was not so uplifting.  Sell everything you own.  Cut off your hand if it causes you sin.  Be content with your pay.  Turn the other cheek.  So often, Jesus and His followers told people what they didn't want to hear.  Standing up for the truth and doing the right thing sometimes requires us to be a little negative.

The Olsteen Estate

It's spiritual pied pipers like Joel Olsteen we should be wary of.  A quick internet search reveals photos of the televangelist's sprawling mansion.  This is a far cry from the simple life John the Baptist adopted.  If it's very hard for a rich man to get into heaven, then why do so many of these televangelists fully embrace the vast material comforts of this world?

For me, it appears God did not say “yes” 2017 because many long-closed doors continue to remain closed.  Perhaps 2017 was the year He said, “Maybe.”