I, John, your brother and companion in the affliction and kingdom and patient endurance which is in Jesus, came to be on the island which is called Patmos, on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Rev. 1:9
It is all too easy to pontificate about the sufferings of others when you haven't experienced what they have gone through. I remember a beloved teacher whose wife was dying of cancer. His graciousness to each student in spite of the horrible burden that he carried to school every day awed me. The power of his life and of his impassioned expositions on love, marriage, and suffering in the Christian life constantly stirred me. I wanted nothing more than to be like him when I finished my education.
Things went from bad to worse. Day after day we saw less of our teacher as he was more and more needed to care for his wife's deteriorating condition. Occasionally he let us peek briefly through the curtain of his stoic fortitude and sense the pain that he and his wife were experiencing. The funeral was an awesome moment of melancholy in which we all embraced our beloved professor in his spiritual emotional pain. The one who had so often carried us in our troubles now needed our support.
Loving and admiring this man, I wanted so badly to do or to say something that would be helpful. In my mind I ranged through my seven years of ministry, thinking of all the brilliant things I might have said at funerals. Yet I had never, up to that point, lost anyone who was truly close to me. Aunts, uncles, and parents were still alive, and my grandparents had been somewhat distant.
Taking my teacher aside one day, I shared some theological thoughts that I hoped would be helpful to him in his loss. His response stunned me. It was the only time I ever saw him angry. "Don't you ever do that to anyone again!" he said. "None of that theology is worth a piece of manure right now. You don't know what it means to lose your wife, and your words only make it worse." If the ground had opened up just then, I would gladly have jumped in!
Only those who have truly suffered know how to comfort the suffering. John knows what they are going through from experience. Those who share in suffering or persecution often find themselves unified in ways that transcend all barriers. Race, culture, and denominational differences matter little when experiencing the consequences of opposition to the gospel. Knowing that others have felt what we do has healing power for our own pain. And through what we have endured we learn how to minister to others who suffer.
Lord, steer me away from theologies of success and prosperity. Help me embrace the hard things of life. May my wounds have healing power in the lives of others.
It is all too easy to pontificate about the sufferings of others when you haven't experienced what they have gone through. I remember a beloved teacher whose wife was dying of cancer. His graciousness to each student in spite of the horrible burden that he carried to school every day awed me. The power of his life and of his impassioned expositions on love, marriage, and suffering in the Christian life constantly stirred me. I wanted nothing more than to be like him when I finished my education.
Things went from bad to worse. Day after day we saw less of our teacher as he was more and more needed to care for his wife's deteriorating condition. Occasionally he let us peek briefly through the curtain of his stoic fortitude and sense the pain that he and his wife were experiencing. The funeral was an awesome moment of melancholy in which we all embraced our beloved professor in his spiritual emotional pain. The one who had so often carried us in our troubles now needed our support.
Loving and admiring this man, I wanted so badly to do or to say something that would be helpful. In my mind I ranged through my seven years of ministry, thinking of all the brilliant things I might have said at funerals. Yet I had never, up to that point, lost anyone who was truly close to me. Aunts, uncles, and parents were still alive, and my grandparents had been somewhat distant.
Taking my teacher aside one day, I shared some theological thoughts that I hoped would be helpful to him in his loss. His response stunned me. It was the only time I ever saw him angry. "Don't you ever do that to anyone again!" he said. "None of that theology is worth a piece of manure right now. You don't know what it means to lose your wife, and your words only make it worse." If the ground had opened up just then, I would gladly have jumped in!
Only those who have truly suffered know how to comfort the suffering. John knows what they are going through from experience. Those who share in suffering or persecution often find themselves unified in ways that transcend all barriers. Race, culture, and denominational differences matter little when experiencing the consequences of opposition to the gospel. Knowing that others have felt what we do has healing power for our own pain. And through what we have endured we learn how to minister to others who suffer.
Lord, steer me away from theologies of success and prosperity. Help me embrace the hard things of life. May my wounds have healing power in the lives of others.
RSS Feed
