Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Embracing suffering

The hardest thing about being a pastor is sharing the pain that folks feel. Visiting them in the hospital or at their homes and seeing how they feel is such a difficult chore at times because one of the things you learn quickly is how to care. No care, no connection. No connection, no pastoring. No pastoring, well you might as well not do this.

But it wears you out, frankly. Checking week after week with persons who are seriously ill is difficult. I wish I could do so much more, but I can't. Prayers, holding hands, lifting spirits? Sure. But I can't fix anything, it seems.

But here's a secret I think most should hear about. You don't have to be a pastor to do any of this. In fact, Jesus calls us all to be his hands and feet.

Let me read what Jesus said to his disciples about what they were to do, or be about. From the Message's reading of Luke 9, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat—I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?"

We must embrace suffering to be of any good to our Lord. No one says it will be easy, because it's not, but on this side of the River Jordan, it's what we're called to do.

Join me, please.

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