Longing for a Fresh Start

The Promise of the Second Wind
by Bill Butterworth, Dean Merrill

(Page 2 of 2)

By Dean:

This is not a book about running. It's a book about the need for a second wind in life, and where to find it.

The longer you live, the greater your chances of running out of steam. Call it fatigue, call it disappointment, call it bad luck ... the energy just isn't there anymore. People wake up one day and realize they're just plodding through life feeling stuck. They're weary with the sameness of day in, day out. They had hoped for better things, a more exciting life, a higher level of accomplishment - but instead they have settled for what is rather than what could have been.

Here are three examples I know. I've changed the names and circumstances so as not to cause problems for the individuals. But the feelings are authentic and real.

Tom

He backs his six-year-old Ford Taurus out of the driveway and heads for the boulevard once again, the same route to work he has taken ten thousand times. He is not happy this cloudy Thursday morning, not because anything particularly terrible has happened, but because nothing particularly exciting is in store, either. Not today, not tomorrow, not on the upcoming weekend, not ever.

He will spend another day at his Department of Motor Vehicles desk, watching over his team of eight clerks at the windows as they issue license plates, process title applications, and collect fees that inevitably irritate the public. Every hour or so he will be called over to settle a dispute, to calm down a citizen who's sure he's being robbed by a greedy government. In between these skirmishes, he fills out paperwork, writes reports, and monitors efficiency.

It's not a bad job; somebody has to do it, and every other Friday it produces a paycheck to keep his family afloat. What eats at his 49-year-old soul, however, is that with his modest qualifications, his lack of a college diploma, and his hesitancy to take any kind of risk or make a splash, this is basically all there's going to be. His name isn't going to show up in the promotion announcements that get e-mailed to everyone from time to time. He's a cog in the great wheel of bureaucracy, turning, turning, turning each day, unnoticed and unheralded.

Over his brown-bag lunch at noon, Tom thinks about his wife, surrounded in her classroom by 28 fresh-faced third-graders. They're noisy at times, but they're eager to learn, and they think their teacher is a wonder woman. He muses ... Well, the kids are right; she is terrific at what she does. She turns them on to a marvelous world. She's really made something of herself. She sparks excitement, and she draws energy in return.

This he finds depressing in an odd sort of way, because he wonders what she really thinks down deep inside about her gray, paper-shuffling, dead-ended husband. He does not worry about her turning from their marriage; she's much too principled for that. But she yearns for a nicer house in a better neighborhood, something that only a higher salary could bring - and that's not going to happen. Their high-school freshman son wants to play hockey, but the gear is awfully expensive .... Their computer in the family room keeps crashing for some reason, and he doesn't know how to fix it .... Sweeping his potato chip remnants and sandwich bag toward the trash can, Tom stares into space, wondering.

Susan

She glances toward the scratched-up door of her modest apartment as she hears the familiar Sunday evening noise. Her boys are clamoring up the steps, back from another weekend with their father. Now she must get their feet back on the ground to be ready for school in the morning. Since the divorce three years ago, her world has quivered like a flawed gyroscope, but she's hanging on, determined to make the best of a rough ride.

"Hi, guys," she greets them. "Did you have a good time?"

"Oh, Mom, it was so cool!" exudes the younger one. "Dad took us to this paintball place, and we all put on these other clothes so we could blast each other with red and green and purple and every color you can imagine. I got Jeremy once right in the face - it was awesome!"

She forces a smile as she tousles her son's hair and then nudges him down the hall, dragging his duffle bag, toward the bedroom the two boys must share. There she sorts out what goes straight into the laundry, while simultaneously asking whether any homework for tomorrow still remains undone. Next will come showers for both of them, and soon enough, bedtime.

This wasn't the life Susan had dreamed of, to be sure. Clenching her jaw, she manages each challenge as it comes, pushing down her feelings into the basement of her mind so she can concentrate on the immediate. The boys don't seem to be all that much worse for the wear, although she can't tell for sure what's happening at school.

Last week, a teacher's note had come home saying, "Be sure to call for an appointment with me during Parent Week, okay?" What would that be about?

The next morning will start with an early rush, and so she lays out her clothes tonight for the coming workday. Finally she sags into bed, makes sure the alarm is set for 5:40, and then reaches for the Bible on her nightstand. Finding her bookmark from the last time, she picks up the trail again with Isaiah. The Edomite nation has done something wrong - she's not quite sure what - and they're now going to get it from an angry God whose patience has been used up. She keeps plodding along to the next chapter, but the dark tone persists. She was hoping for some lift, some encouragement from the Scripture, but, oh well .... Susan closes the book with a sigh and turns out the light.

Brad

He turns on his computer on a Friday morning, and up pops a meeting request. George, his boss, wants to see him at 3 p.m. Topic: unstated.

It strikes him oddly, because he's already had his weekly update session with George at the normal time on Wednesday morning. What's up? he wonders.

Anyway, he clicks the "Accept Appointment" button and moves on to other work. But throughout the day, he keeps guessing to himself. Is George going to retire? Has corporate headquarters sent down a new project? Is there a merger in the wind?

The day drags by slowly, until finally 3 o'clock arrives. He arrives at George's office to find a co-worker already there. And quickly, a third member of the team arrives. Both of the others look as puzzled as he does.

George is unusually agitated. He keeps twisting a pencil in his right hand. "Go ahead and close the door," he says with a nod.

And within 20 minutes, all three managers have been told that they're out of work. The company's earnings in the past two quarters have slipped to the point that Wall Street has noticed, the firm's bond rating has dropped, and an alarmed board of directors has now mandated a 12 percent reduction in work force.

"I am terribly sorry, guys," George concludes. "This is definitely not your fault. You've worked very hard and given your best to this company. But I have no choice; the brass says I've got to cut somewhere, and this is how I've decided to do it."

The trio ask more questions about severance procedures, of course. But all too soon, the meeting is over.

Brad shuffles back to his office, his mind in a blur. Now what? He picks up his phone to call his wife.

"Honey, are you there? I just wanted to make sure. I'm coming home early."

"Yes, okay - um, what's happening?" she wants to know.

"Well, I'll tell you when I get there."

"No, really - something's wrong, I can tell it in your voice," she insists. "Tell me now."

He sucks in a breath, and then says, "Um ... the company is not making its numbers these days, and ... I just got laid off."

"Oh, no!" she exclaims. "How can they do this to you, after all the hours you've put in and everything?!" She sniffs, trying to choke back the tears. Finally, she says, "Hurry home right away ... I love you."

With that, they hang up, and Brad reaches for his coat.

The Promise Waits for You

By Bill:

These slices of life, and dozens of others, can be positively impacted by the promise of the Second Wind. It can happen - it can happen to you. This is a book of hope. It's a book for the weary. It's for those who looked at its title and found it almost too upbeat. It's for those at the 44th Street lifeguard stand of life who aren't sure they can make it home again.

I know that forsaken feeling. I know what it feels like to be fresh out of fuel. I went through a divorce several years ago that left me a lifeless lump. Energy escaped me. Life seemed to leave. Each day was nothing more than a twenty-four hour sigh.

But I have good news.

I've experienced a rejuvenation in my life. I'll tell you more about it as we move through the book. But trust me, it has jump-started my life again. Yes, I have been honored as a recipient of the coveted Second Wind. And I've sneaked a peek at this year's recipients ....

... You're on the list.

Copyright © 2003 by Bill Butterworth & Dean Merrill. Excerpted by permission of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

About the Author

Bill Butterworth is a full-time speaker who has addressed groups at Disney, Daimler Chrysler, American Express, and megachurches such as Willow Creek Community Church and Saddleback Community Church. He is a recipient of the Hal Holbrook Award for speaking. Bill is a graduate of Florida Bible College, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Florida Atlantic University. He is the former Director of Counseling for Chuck Swindoll's Insight for Living ministry and is the author of several books, including When Life doesn't Turn Out Like You Planned. Bill lives with his wife in California.

Dean Merrill is the author or coauthor of more than 20 books, including the award-winning, best-selling trilogy with Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire and its sequels, Fresh Faith and Fresh Power. He is the vice president of international publishing for the International Bible Society, a former president of the Evangelical Press Association, and a board member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. A graduate of Chicago Bible College and Syracuse University, Dean lives with his wife in Colorado.