Learning from Sorrow and Suffering!

Last week I mentioned my focus over the next few weeks will center itself in the arena of suffering. 

It wasn't by choice, but rather fell into my lap as the result of the final speaking session on my last retreat.

With that said, I dive into the topic knowing the waters will be quite chilly. 

John Stott once wrote:

"The fact of suffering undoubtedly constitutes the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith, and has been so in every generation."

 

And, from the pen of Corrie ten Boom (Holocaust war survivor):

"If God sent us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes."

Lesson #1 in our Biblical Theology of Suffering:  All Suffering Teaches Us Something!

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One year ago today, my dear friend Michele left earth for heaven. 

I can't let this day pass without remembering the suffering-life she led, especially over the last three years of being on this planet, and all she taught me. 

Little by little, a disease we spoke of by its initials, MSA (Multiple System Atrophy) began to steal Michele's body from her. 

Once diagnosed, we knew she'd been given a death sentence.

Yet, never once did I hear my friend ask the age-old-question, "Why?"

Never once did I hear her complain.

Over and over, we spoke of heaven, and she'd ask me to have Bay come and preach heaven to her just one more time. 

The other recurring theme from her mouth always began like this, "How blessed am I.....?" She'd then go on and recount all the ways she saw God's goodness pass in front of her; and, she prayed...

OH! HOW! SHE! PRAYED!

On this day, one year ago, I began to list all the things that my sister-in-Christ had taught me as she slipped from our presence into HIS!

This is a great way to begin this series on suffering, for these are the things which Sorrow and Suffering want to teach us on the journey Heavenward.

(Yes, I'm repeating parts of last year's blog. That's ok. We need to have these lessons repeated, and all of them seem to come from the book of Philippians, which Paul wrote from his imprisonment in Rome.)

EVERY! SINGLE! THING! we are allowed to suffer is a gift of grace. 

My friend made friends with suffering, and allowed it to strengthen her soul.

EVERY! SINGLE! THING! to which we may feel shackled is an opportunity to advance the gospel. 

Just as Paul was "put" in chains in a Roman prison, Michele was "put" in an uncooperative earthly tent that she might minister to others. It was her greatest desire to keep the main thing the main thing: THE GOSPEL OF JESUS!

Oh, and about "advancing" the gospel and allowing suffering to "progress our faith and joy in Jesus?" We can know it won't be without resistance (from inside and out), instead we can view our "HARD" with eyes-of-eternity: 

In our suffering we can be trail-blazers-of-God's-glory.

If suffering leads me through the valley of the shadow of death, then death is,  for me,  a win-win. 

As long as we live in this body, we have opportunity to fulfill God's purpose for us on this earth...but, dying is gain! Heaven is so worth it - and she wanted everyone to know that!

Joy is never dependent on circumstances. I've never met ANYONE IN MY LIFE MORE JOY-FILLED! In fact:

All of life is simply an adventure in joy.

Suffering can not strip away our ability to worship to the very end. 

We serve a God who is worthy of worship, who walks the painful journey with us, who helps us endure to the end, and who gives us peace that passes all understanding. 

These life lessons on the hard journey, remind me that doing the hard thing is often the most holy thing we can do. 

Building a Biblical Theology of Suffering

No one (least of all myself) likes to talk about suffering. 

However, I've come to realize over the past several years (especially, I guess, through the "Season of COVID") that there is a great need to discuss it within the context of Biblical Theology.

Watching a number of folks over recent years walk away from faith in Jesus deeply burdens my heart.

I'm not just talking away from the church, rather a complete falling away from following Christ and what Scripture teaches in general.

Of course, the church represents the Body of Christ, so I find myself lamenting body-parts that have been removed...

Others have written articles explaining this phenomenon, and as I've read, there seems to be ONE MAJOR recurring theme (albeit, amidst several other reasons):

There is a perceived notion that followers of Jesus should not have to struggle with hardship and suffering. There is a problem reconciling a good God (whom they've been taught has their best interests at heart, who loves them deeply, and who died to save them) with trials and tribulation. In fact, not only is He not good, He is downright mean...and, He lies when He says to us, "Ask whatever you will according to my name, and I will do it..."

Plus, there's a consensus of thought that says, if you "trust enough" you will be spared difficulty...

🤔

So, it's no wonder that when the going gets tough, those in the middle of pain and problems, also get going...but in the wrong direction. 

This reminds me of what I consider to be one of the saddest passages in the New Testament.

Paul is writing to his beloved son-in-the-faith, Timothy, from the darkest, rankest, most disgusting prisons in history (Maritime prison in Rome). 

In order for Paul to survive prison and stay alive for his upcoming trial before Nero (an excellent opportunity for him to share THE GOSPEL one more time), he relies on friends to bring him food and necessities. 

Paul asks Timothy to do his best to come to him soon...

(here's the sad verse)

For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica... 

(2 Timothy 4:10)

Paul goes on to say that only Luke is still with him. 

Others have gone on to further the ministry.

Not so Demas, whose name meant "popular."

What that tells me is Demas loved the razzle-dazzle of Paul's ministry, the popularity of it all, but when it took a turn, so did he.

He loved the world and its comforts too much.

Demas did not finish strong.

This is not a current-age-problem.

This leaving is an age-old-problem.

It broke Paul's heart; and, it breaks mine. 

What does it say to the lost in need of a Savior about our Lord?

Here's the bottom line...

I'm convinced; we, the church, need to do a better job teaching a theology of suffering.

So, a week ago, as I finished up speaking to a group of global workers aboard the Independence of the Seas, I spoke on the need to finish strong as Jesus-followers.

In just a short snippet, I shared my belief in the need to teach a stronger theology of suffering, and gave a few of God's promises straight from His Mouth (His Word) to our hearts.

As evaluations were written, several women mentioned how they wished we could have dug more deeply into this concept of building a Biblically-based-doctrine on difficulty.

While it would make a full retreat series and still never cover everything, it's not a subject I would really want to teach on a retreat; but, I can work on some devotional thoughts that I develop here. 

I don't know how long I'll spend, but over the course of the next few weeks, I hope to do some exploring, some digging, some reading, and some writing that might assist in the process. 

Even I need a better theology. 

How's yours? 

CRISPY! And a way to re-hydrate.

The last few weeks have been busy ones; two weekend women’s retreats and one, ten day conference for “m” workers (global workers, ministry partners). 

I’ve loved every second of every minute.

The conference took place on a cruise ship to the Bahama’s (the volunteer training took place at a hotel in Miami right off Bayside along the Biscayne Bay).

It’s fairly rough ministry, but somebody had to say yes; so, I sacrificed and went as the speaker.

OH! MY!

That added an entirely different level to “serving Jesus.” 😇😌😅

In spite of all that pops into your head about a “cruise,” I really didn’t have a lot of free time.

Not once did I sit poolside drinking some wonderful tropical drink…

But, I did walk around the deck and enjoyed the sunset one evening…

…and, one morning, when we docked in Nassau, I got off the ship and zipped through the marketplace rather quickly.

The rest of the time, I worked on my messages (refining them) and filled 10, one-hour long counseling appointments over the course of three days. 

One of the gals who attended, used an interesting word to describe the state of her soul, as she shared with her small group:

CRISPY

She said, “I feel crispy.” 

I totally understood. 

I’ve been crispy-in-soul before, and, in fact, I thought to myself as I went for a long walk this morning, “I am currently crispy, and in much need of simply doing mindless-duties.”

Or, better yet, no duties (but that’s rather impossible). 

Let me explain “crispy.”

I have a food dehydrator, I love. 

I grow my own herbs, and dry them in it, then use mortar and pestle to crush and fill my seasoning jars. 

In the fall, we love dried apples and pears (particularly, the pears) as a healthy treat.

After sitting in the dry heat and “wind” of the dehydrator for hours, these things are CRISPY. 

The WordBook dictionary defines CRISPY as, “dry and easily broken.”

I’ve definitely been on-the-go since mid-March…

The stuff which comprises my life can not be described as difficult (hot, dry, high winds), but it has left my heart, mind 🧠, soul, and strength a little bit crispy, and without some re-hydration from LIVING WATER 💦, I put myself into a position where I can easily be broken.

GOOD NEWS for my little gal at the conference; GOOD NEWS for me; GOOD NEWS for you.

A little solo time with Jesus is the best way to drink, drink, drink of living water and re-hydrate for the purpose of renewal and re-use.

So, this morning, because I awoke before the sun did, I went for a walk and entered into the Presence of the Lord by simply singing along with a few worship songs.

I turned to an older playlist that I created back in about 2017, one I’ve kept adding to over the years, titled “Worship.” 

These are the first three songs on that praise & worship  list - they aren’t about “me” or my situation, just songs of praise about our King of Kings. I’ve attached a YouTube link for you to enjoy them yourselves 

Gratitude. Brandon Lake.

Indescribable. Chris Tomlin.

Strong God. Meredith Andrews.

King of the World. Natalie Grant

Just making this intentional move into the Presence of my Savior and King, the process of re-hydration began.

I moved into a time of prayer, then thanksgiving for: the sunrise over the desert, the bunnies who froze in place (so I couldn’t see them - smile 😊), the skittish quail scattering off with their little top-knots wagging, and, of course, the coffee that brings my Spidey-senses to high alert. 

When I returned, I opened the Word of God, and HE SPOKE TO MY HEART 💜, these words from Paul, the Apostle:

Crispy or not, there’s a secret to instantaneous rehydration - it’s called:

Situation-Shaped-Grace

God has given us exactly the grace we need to fit every situation we may wander through on this journey heavenward: moment by moment, step by step, day by day.

We don’t borrow ahead, we can’t save for later.

What we need we have for today. 

We simply step into His presence, He holds out the gift of much-needed-grace and we take it out of His right hand and receive it into our hearts.

This is often the problem….

I tend to think I can manage on my own by just trucking along, but I can’t. 

I need all those things above - 

Alone-time with Jesus

Praise and Worship

Prayer and Thanksgiving

Listening for His Voice 

Receiving His Word

All adds up to REHYDRATION!!!

Now, to engage in another great spiritual rhythm of restoration: a nappio-divina (I just learned this new spiritual discipline in this book, pictured below):  DIVINE NAPPING! 😴 💤 

(Highly Recommend)

How’s your soul? 

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“People ought to saunter in the mountains - not hike! Do you know the origin of the word ‘saunter?’ It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going they would reply, ‘A la sainte terre,’ ‘To the Holy Land.’ 

And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers.

Now “these mountains”* are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.”

-John Muir-

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*the dry heat and winds of our life* that make us “crispy.”

Grace is...

 

This past week two things in my world collided to bring together this current post. 

First, each Wednesday I receive a "Wednesday's Word" written by Paul David Tripp. Behind by a week or two, I caught up and read a beautiful piece of prose describing what "grace" is all about. 

Titled, "Grace is," Tripp expounded on this "thunderous, expansive, powerful and life-altering word."

Other than the word God, he goes on to say, "there is no more important word that the human mind could consider and the mouth could speak."

So, he tries to clarify this by describing grace as many things...

A rainbow of every shade of mercy...

A fountain, an ever flowing stream...

 

A symphony, each instrument one of redemption...

A forest with oaks of righteousness...

These are just a few of an entire page of lovely metaphors.

Secondly, I've been challenged by a friend, who writes books for writers, to engage with her writing group in creative writing skills (just for fun and as fodder for her next book). 

One of our assignments was to take on a different form of writing that is uncommon to each of us, simply for the purpose of stretching ourselves out of a comfort zone of personal style. 

She, also, threw wide open the windows for topic choice. 

As I reflected on Paul Tripp's lovely piece of prose, I randomly noted that he left out one significant metaphor. 

It seemed important to me, since I recently found myself incorporating this particular figure of expression in several of my retreat sessions. 

So, I played around with the thought further, as the result of my assignment.

The writing is rough.

I am no Paul David Tripp.

But, I'll share it here, simply for the purpose of pondering your own journey with grace.

Grace is a journey.

A journey 

That begins at the cross...

At calvary

Where the gospel story unfolds.

There, with Jesus’ shed blood

Running down red

Puddling the ground

I bow, surrendered.

There, I find salvation,

Forgiveness,

Freedom,

Joy,

Peace,

Hope,

Eternal life.

There, as He lifts me up

Out of the blood-formed-clay

Where I fell,

He plants my feet

 

On a new way -

A path of adventure -

Not safe*

Never safe...

Yet, His magnificent Presence

Is always about me.

And, He is good.

Never anything but good.

So, I embrace this path,

This new ground 

Unexplored, 

Holy-ground.

For where He is 

It is holy!

A sacred place

A pilgrimage

And adventure with Jesus 

Into the unknown 

Yet always destined for the throne...

And, those who set 

Their hearts on Him

Will find their strength in Him.

There is a for-sure-blessing 

Beyond measure.

He, Himself, will lead me on...

Where the path is straight

To Heaven’s gate...

On this journey called Grace.

*Safe. Our journey isn't safe as in the definition of "protected from trouble and trial." Safe IS connected with the biblical idea of safety, meaning "encompassed about for the purpose of strengthening." In this way, our journey as we step heavenward in grace is sure. God, Himself, encompasses around us with His sweet presence, for the purpose of strengthening us in our need. 

REJOICE AND BE REASONABLE.

Monday swept into our lives like water rushing through broken pipes underground....and, actually that was (literally) part of the problem. 

The fact it was Monday, following a weekend of being away speaking at a women's retreat, should have been enough in itself.

A lot needed to be accomplished in this new week before I leave again over the coming weekend.

However, not to be outdone by the length of my to-do-list, Monday brought with her all manner of issues...

...the WORST ONE being that a water line broke and, to prevent flooding, we turned off the water to all the homes on our family's property (although I don't want to minimize the fact I nearly burned the house down forgetting cauliflower cooking on the stove).  

🙄

This day's list necessitated WATER, with the need to "cook ahead" in order to freeze meals for dear Bay (who still needs to eat while I'm gone the next three weeks), a sink filled with dirty dishes (from having been away), dirty clothes to launder, and a house to clean.

Now my day also required a run to town to buy some extra gallons of water to have on hand for flushing toilets, filling the water well on the coffee maker (obviously, some things never get sacrificed), and random other arising needs. 

A whole slough of additional "to do's" hit my list that became "trials" threatening to rob my joy.

My dear assistant, Allison commiserated.

She, too, had just gotten home from a family funeral, and woke this same Monday, to all kinds of issues, including dog messes all about her house and a credit card scam.

My household concerns probably seemed quite illegitimate in comparison; yet, she jumped in with both feet to help where she could.

I assigned her the task of calling 811 to alert all utilities services, and so they could come out to identify lines that might get in the way of digging up the broken pipes for repair. 

We didn't need an electrical outage along with the zero water.

Allison's sweet temperament handles things like this far better than mine.

Had I been on the phone with the woman asking the kazillion technical questions and promising we'd not see a service provider until WEDNESDAY, well, patience and gentleness might not have defined me. 

I know this about me. 

1) I'm not a fan of talking on the phone.

2) I have no sweet spirit when someone seems to be wasting my time, and they are contrary to my will.

3) Let's face it, FORBEARANCE is not my middle name. 

So, as I worked on other things, like clearing away the burnt-to-a-crisp-cauliflower, Allison quietly answered the questions, merely raising her eyebrows at the not-acceptable-time-frame, while gently advocating on our behalf. 

Internally, awe took over as I listened to the conversation develop, and before she ended the call, the service provider called my husband saying she'd arrive in 20-minutes. 

I certainly applauded my decision o have her make that call. 👏👏

Were I on the phone, we'd be well into May before they came in response to my un-gentle approach.

🙄

So, this morning, as I'm reading Philippians 4, yet another conviction overwhelmed my soul.

Of course, I know I'm not experiencing persecution like the church to whom Paul wrote.

My "trials" are merely little and annoying; these folks experienced persecution and suffering. 

However, the words the apostle admonished, I FIND I, also, NEED as a huge dose of application.

He says to them:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Let your gentleness (reasonableness, kindness, gruntle-ness, mildness) be KNOWN TO ALL.

The Lord is at hand...

Philippians 4:4-5

EVEN WHEN...

"Rejoice and be reasonable." 

In fact, make certain every person you come in contact with recognizes these character traits in you, even if they are the ones to heap hardship upon hardship.

You see, even the "gods" of the Greco-Roman world were known for their gentle forbearance, according to the NICNT/NICOT (commentary on Philippians) written by Gordon Fee.

So, of course, the people of God should be even more so.  

"THIS SHOULD BE THE DISPOSITION OF ALL GOD'S PEOPLE - and, this toward all people, especially, those who make life miserable for us."

PEG FORREST IS NOT EXEMPT - no special dispensation, here.

In doing so, we imitate Christ:

Why? 

Paul's reasoning is interesting:  

The Lord is near.

Paul could mean one of two things, or perhaps a double entendre.

The Lord is ever close.

His presence always with us to empower us, encourage, exhort, and strengthen....

Paul's words are reminiscent of David's:

The second meaning is more eschatological in thought.

Even back then, the possibility that our Savior could appear at any moment crossed their minds frequently...

...and, we are closer than ever.

Of course, as you are reading this, He could appear.

What a thought...

For them it meant a release from the trials of the world.

For us it means the same - and, goodness - don't we relish the day when all things will be made right?!?

Yet, it adds another thought for me, especially.

How do I want to be found when the Lord appears?

Grumbling and griping because of the circumstances, or rejoicing and living out grace, love, generosity, patience and kindness with a gentle/reasonable spirit?