Day 36 - Those Kind Of People
Scripture focus: The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." Isaiah 29:13 NIV
Whew! I'm glad I'm not one of those kind of people - or am I? Isn't it sad but true that sometimes we are those kind?
Look, when we're kids, we aren't supposed to understand the nature of suffering. I'm a big fan of shielding children as best we can from the brokenness of this world. They're not ready for all that reality just yet. As we shield and protect them, I think we should be preparing and equipping them. In 1982 our first child was born. What a cutie! There hasn't been a day since her birth that her dad and I wouldn't have been willing to throw ourselves in front of a moving train if it would somehow benefit her. When she was about six weeks old, her dad was coaching basketball, and I dressed her up in cute little University of Virginia sweats and off we went to the game! Proudly sitting on the front row, I cheered with the rest of the parents as our team hustled up and down the court. At halftime, a very distinguished looking gentleman came up and said, "Could I give you some feedback?"
"Sure!" I said, certain that he wanted to tell me that indeed, I did have the most beautiful baby girl he'd ever seen.
"I'm a pediatrician, and I just want you to consider moving up a few rows with your baby. If those boys threw the ball this way, you might not be able to protect her. She's very fragile at this age. I'm not trying to upset you; I just thought you'd want to know what my experience has taught me."
Frankly, I had an instant of aggravation. How dare he - I'm an excellent mother - of course I want my baby protected!?! That initial embarrassment was quickly replaced with gratitude. I scurried up to the top row of the bleachers. After the game, I made sure to express my appreciation for his words of wisdom. My intention to protect my baby was tempered by my inexperience. Fortunately, all along the way I have discovered that God provides me with those who can guide me and assist me as I seek to follow through on my good intentions.
Back to my original point. It is natural, normal, developmentally appropriate, nothing to be ashamed of, not surprising, clearly ok - to not understand suffering AND to not have the skill sets necessary to suffer productively. But it's not ok to stay stuck in cyclical suffering simply because we're stubbornly resistant when an opportunity to learn presents itself. We are, indeed, those kind of people - when we refuse to learn all we can about God's perspective on suffering. We are those kind of people when we pattern our suffering style after what we've seen and experienced over and above what God teaches us about how to suffer productively. We are those kind of people when we fail to ask for help with our suffering. Humility and willingness to learn are so important. Pete and I want what's best for our kids. That doesn't mean we walked out of the hospital with our little bundles of joy AND the wherewithal to know what was best. The best thing we've ever done for our kids is admit that we didn't know a lot about being parents - and then ask God and others to help us. Does your faith make a difference in how you suffer? Is there anyone you need to ask assistance from? Those kind of people might pat themselves on the back if they practice some spiritual rituals or disciplines; mature kind of people actually experience life transformation as they humble themselves, becoming willing to step as God speaks. God is speaking to us about our suffering. What kind of people will we choose to become?
Recommended reading: Exodus 22 and 23 in the morning; Psalm 29 and Proverbs 7 in the evening
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