The Good Shepherd and Good Shepherding
Conversation #6 - Synchronized Dance - Part 2
Ministering to a world of grief while immersed in our own pain and loss.
A SYNCHRONIZED DANCE - Part 2
Again, there is never a single moment in life that is all bad or all good. Some elements of both extremes are always present. Our dance is in the middle—the center—of awful burdens and deep thanksgivings at the same time… in the now… and in the next now… ad infinitum. I try to remind myself what the bottom line is here:
When I have nothing—no strength, no will, no breath—is when I lack for nothing … because I have Christ!
We rejoice in our weaknesses because now we know—deeply and experientially—what was always true: Jesus is our all… our only source of strength… our only hope. We lack for nothing… even in diminished health… even on our deathbed!
Grace wins the day…always. This means that our final journey home might look different from what others expect.
Maybe if we celebrate grace under duress rather than the illusion of total victory we will be less surprised and more prepared when illness and evil lurch into our lives, as they always will; and maybe we will be a braver and better people if we know we cannot obliterate such things, but only wield oceans of humor and patience and creativity against them. We have an untold supply of those extraordinary weapons, don’t you think? One Long River of Song, by Brian Doyle, Essay: ‘On Not “Beating” Cancer’, p. 102.
Our synchronized dance? “But let patience have her perfect work…” (James 1:4, KJV) One writer I follow, quoting from the tech world, says about James 1:4…
“It’s a feature, not a bug.” Rachel Starr Thompson
It’s a lifelong process. Not much in life comes to us when and whenever we want it. I always wanted a magic spray like soccer players use… laid flat, writhing in pain, 2-3 quick sprays from the magic aerosol, and they’re back on the pitch again.
No instant gratification. Instant gratification usually happens with things that come back to bite us. We’ll need that kind of patience (steadfastness) until we’re not here anymore. Healing, maturing, and restoration take a lifetime. There is no naming and claiming here. We’re not meant to forget, shed our pasts, and move on. We carry them purposefully as part of what feeds our interaction with the hurting people in our lives today.
No “happily-ever-after”—until AFTER. We should think about what “after” will be like.
Meanwhile, let’s dance …