Jonah’s abhorrence for going to Ninevah was so strong he
thumbed his nose at God and ran the other way.
And, just like Jonah, we often want to run the other way when we’re
called by God to go someplace that makes us uncomfortable. I think this is especially true when God
invites us to step into the suffering life of a friend or acquaintance.
Why do we want to hide our heads in the sand when someone
close to us is going through a time of intense suffering? Why do we avert our eyes and look (run) the
other way? Are we afraid their pain will
rub off on us? Maybe we’re uneasy with such
strong emotions—not only of our suffering friend, but also of our own emotions and
allowing others to see them. Or maybe
we’re simply afraid of saying the wrong thing and adding to their sorrow.
As much as we would like, we can’t simply take ourselves out
of the world and cloister ourselves in utopia (as if there were such a place). We live in a broken world; one marked by sin
and disease and mental illness and devastating storms and sexual abuse and the
misuse and abuse of power… the list can go on and on.
So how do we love, and live, and work in the midst of such life?
What is our response to be, as Christ-followers?
Ephesians 6:10-20 focuses on the armor of God. You’re probably familiar with this armor—the
helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the
shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, and for shoes…the gospel of peace.
It is only after we buckle the gospel of peace to our feet that
we are prepared to enter the world of suffering and chaos. Then, as we step into our world, we bring with
us the Good News, ready to share the hope and love of Christ to a broken and
sinful world. We bring His peace by
loving and listening and encouraging and praying for those who are broken and
shattered.
I saw this played out the other night. A couple of my friends were made aware of a
young lady who had threatened to commit suicide. They immediately went to the hospital and
offered hope and encouragement to her friend in the waiting room. They were equipped with “the peace that comes
from the Good News” and they were “fully prepared” to offer hope in the best
possible way.
Every day we splash around in the muck of this world. Some days are better than others, and we
don’t encounter anything too stinky. But
other days, we know we’ve stepped into
something rotten. The phone rings and
your friend on the other end is sobbing and in shock because her precious dad
suddenly died. Or you listen to a friend
recount horrific details of a sexual assault that took place years ago. Or someone close to you accuses you of
something of which you are innocent. Or
your family member who struggles with mental health issues comes unglued over
an insignificant matter. Or you simply
read the paper or turn on the news and hear about famines, and storms, and
starving children, and genocide, and human trafficking…atrocities of every
color and stripe…the stinky muck of this sinful world. In our human nature we want to avoid it at
all costs.
But God calls us out.
He tells us that even though we are not “of this world,” we do live in this world, and it is our
responsibility and privilege to show others the goodness of God.
“You are
chosen…royal…holy. You are God’s very
own possession. As a result, you can
show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His
wonderful light.” I Peter 2:9
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