I have been writing an on-line article for the Woolwich Observer for the past eight months. It has been a good experience for me. The guidelines included that the item be 600 words. I will try to keep that length for my weekly articles. I will choose another title for these article next week.
WE ARE ALL HURTING
We received a notecard in the mail ” thank you for sharing in your loss”. The card was not signed, and there was no return address on the envelope. So, there is someone who thanks us for helping them in their grief of losing a wife, a mom, a brother or sister, but we do not know who it is.
Who is it ? It might be someone walking in downtown in Elmira. I assume that we know these people well. They have appreciated us attending their loved one’s funeral, or they like that we came to a funeral home visitation. We might have donated to the charity that was named in their obituary. But, I do not need to ask such questions. I just need to pray because that is what I do.
We know that we are all hurting from something in our lives. Sometimes the pain stays with us forever. My mom and dad died in 2004 and 2005 and it still stings, but these deaths do not prevent me from going on in my life. Each of us has something that we have lost in our emotional, spiritual or physical lives. When we walk down Arthur Street in Elmira, we know that everyone has this, in their journey of life. We are all fighting something.
Jesus says in the last meal with his disciples, ” Do not be afraid … ” He knows that we fear the future . When I left being pastor at the Floradale Mennonite Church, I had nothing in terms of work. I wanted to depend on God in a new way . I want to have faith that God will open a door, a window or a peep hole. I was safe being pastor, and now I am living into the unknown. Jesus says,do not be afraid, because he knows that , as a human, I will be afraid when I do not know the future. Like right now.
But, we are all in the same place. We are different because we have different lives. But, we struggle with something. There is the internet saying, ” Don’t judge people, for you never know what battle they are fighting. ” ( there is some truth on the Web ) . In many cases, though, we do not want to be vulnerable to each other. We do not want to risk the truth with someone, if they might judge or put us down.
The church should be such a place. The church should not be a place where you are judged, and your truth telling should be welcomed and received with love and grace. You should not be afraid to go into a church. But, we have not always lived up to our calling . Someone recently told me that church is sometimes a “brave place ” , but not a “safe place.” Pray that the church becomes a safer place today.
At the end of that last meal with his best friends, Jesus prays for them. He is about to die on the cross, and their lives will never be the same. He prays for their safety. He prays that a Spirit of God will come to them, so they might be in touch with the mystery of God. Her knows life will be difficult for them, and they do get beaten, and many die on the cross as well. God is not a spiritual magician, who takes away all of our hurts, losses, deaths and difficulties. God walks with us always, this what I believe.
For the person(s) who sent us that card thanking us for sharing our pain. We will continue to pray for you. Pray for us in our journey as well.
FRED REDEKOP
Ponder Anew 