Day 41 - Minimizing
Scripture focus: I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint- Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plan," declares the Lord. Jeremiah 31:25, 28 NIV
Once a woman came to me battered and bruised. When I asked her about it, she grew immediately defensive.
"Here you go. I just knew you were going to make a big deal about this. This is not a big deal." Then she proceeds to feed me some ridiculous story about how her husband's fist accidentally made contact with her face. When that story meets with a rolling of eyes on my part - she falls to her next best tale - it was all her fault. She goes on to say that as a believer, God would want her to stay in this marriage, sleeping with these fists, because it will demonstrate God's forgiving spirit being lived out in her body. What a load of garbage!
In fact, she is minimizing her situation. I understand that she doesn't know how to handle her immense problems. I realize she is minimizing in order to cope. I also know this strategy will ultimately fail.
Recently I brought some posters to church and asked our NorthStar Community attenders to write down an example of their pain and suffering on the board. I loved the one that said, "clening my room" (translation: cleaning my room). Here's a little chickadee telling her church community that she suffers when she has to clean her room. She doesn't stop with only one example of suffering. "My to sisters." (Translation: my two sisters) - also appeared on the poster of pain.
I love this! I hope no one walks up to this child and says, "That's not so bad. Someday you'll love your two sisters. Cleaning your room builds character! Don't be such a baby!" I hope our community knows to say instead, "I feel your pain."
Suffering isn't a relative term. It's not a contest, where the person with the worst circumstance wins! When God says he hears our suffering, notices our misery, responds and rescues, he doesn't include a big long list of exceptions to our perceived pain.
Notice that Jeremiah reminds us in our scripture focus for today that God says he refreshes the weary and faint. Sometimes in order to get us where he needs us, he allows natural consequences, pain and suffering to enter our life. I trust he has a good reason for this.
If we keep denying and minimizing our suffering, I can only assume that God waits for us to grow weary and faint. It is in our surrender that God saves. It's my prayer that we can cease and desist our propensity to minimize our misery. Let this little girl lead us, and cry out to God the truth of our situation. He's big - he can handle it.
Recommended reading: Exodus 31 in the morning; Matthew 27 and Psalm 32 in the evening
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