WHY ME (?!.)

Sales is a profession where representatives are constantly explaining (or should be) WHY ME. People want to know if the company and its staff are trustworthy and truly capable of delivering what the customer wants and needs. I’ve been in a sales oriented position for all my professional life, many times responsible for a number of sales people either as an owner or manager of multiple individuals. Credibility is a primary goal both personally and in those who are part of the sales and marketing team. Honesty and integrity are necessary ingredients, especially in the WHY ME part of the equation.

The most common WHY ME is with a question mark. People wonder why certain issues and circumstances happen in their lives, seemingly at the most inconvenient time and with no ability to change what happened. I am qualified to ask the question, as are all individuals seeking answers to life’s issues. On December 9, 2019 I had a cardiac issue that took my life twice the same morning. I was literally raised from the dead twice, and had to be shocked back to life 4 times. I had a business appointment and fell over dead on that lady’s couch. Miraculously, she had learned CPR early in life, and now got to practice on me. 911 was called and got there within 3-4 minutes. Once at the hospital, they determined to put me in an Ice Vest, to slow down the metabolism, hopefully to save the brain as well since they did not know how long it had been deprived of oxygen. 3 days later, I was sitting up, laughing and crying with family and friends. Less than a week after the incident, I was dismissed from the hospital, sent to the rehab hospital, and was dismissed from there 5 days later. A remarkable recovery, to say the least!

I don’t think many people get an answer to WHY ME. I’ve had other WHY ME incidents, including bypass surgery in 2003, an aortic valve replacement in 2016, a business failure along the way, and other “normal” life problems, along with a lot of success stories as well. When we don’t get an answer to WHY ME, God usually gets the blame for not answering and either causing or allowing the situation to happen. The cry for justice is almost universal, and any reasonable person understands that we live in a wicked, rebellious world filled with problems and seeming unfairness. A frequent statement made in these situations is why do bad things happen to good people. Perhaps a better statement would be why do good things happen to bad people, since scripture tells us that there is none righteous in God’s sight, no not one (cf. Romans 3:23)

This leads to WHY ME! Every person is born in God’s image, every life is special and precious. It is His prerogative to not reveal why, but to use the adversity for a different, greater purpose. I could have died and gone on to my eternal reward. But God literally set up my revival so I could communicate an important message. Many people when faced with life-altering situations adopt an attitude of complaining, questioning and fighting against the circumstance. This does not change anything, except creating a negative, discouraging environment. We can focus on the problems and circumstances, or we can see the situation as an opportunity to change and grow.

Here is the message: God is good, and in the rescue business! 2000 years ago, He sent His Son to rescue humanity from (gasp) sin. Sin is an unpopular concept, but all of us have fallen short of the mark. Just as I was rescued from physical death, Jesus came to rescue mankind from separation from God due to sin. He did it as a free gift so we don’t have to strive for it or boast about how we’ve earned it by being such a good person. But just as a gift has to be received and opened, so too must we personally receive the gift and unwrap it. We do so by acknowledging that we cannot save or rescue ourselves. We simply believe in our hearts that God provided, and we state with our mouths that we accept this incredible gift (cf. Romans 10:9-10, Romans 6:23)

I invite you into this life transforming relationship with a God Who loves us so much He was willing to die to establish this new citizenship. If you have further questions or need to clarify what is being represented, you can contact me at my personal email address, encoreei@gmail.com Thanks for listening to me. I experienced this life transformation over 40 years ago, and was rescued from death to bring you this message of hope.

Jim Brubaker