Pain, pain, pain.
I don't know what hurts more, hurting yourself or seeing others hurting. Both are horrific.
The weather changed today. Yesterday it went from 80 degrees as a high, sunny and almost hot, to today. Today it is cloudy, about 50 degrees, and rainy. I walked outside at about 10:45 to go to church and I smiled up at the cloudy sky, fields rolling in the distance for miles, a few houses with trees poking up every once in a while. This is Brush. I could live here.
I don't have answers to the problems of the world. I wish I did.
Today in church one of the elders spoke the message. He spoke from his heart using the text of Ephesians 1.18-20. And there was a young man in the audience, about my age or a little older, who kept interrupting him. At first, I just thought he was rude, but this young man couldn't stand the message that the elder was preaching. He interruped aloud when the preacher started talking about how Satan sometimes tempts us, but Christ has overcome him...that even when we, as believers, sin, we are still children of God. We are saved by the grace of Christ...we have been given new identities. The young man interrupted and said, "What, in your dreams? When you dream?" he laughed, shaking his head. It was rude. But at least he spoke how he felt.
The young man got up and walked out in the middle of the service.
The youth pastor prayed for him at the end. I was curious as to what he would say, but was thankful to hear the pastor's heart. He did not condemn or express anger. In fact, he did the opposite, as he should do. He asked for God's love in that young man, and for us as the believing body to show him love.
"They will know us by the love we have for one another."
Oh...I hate seeing pain.
posted by Ash at 12:38 PM
2 Comments:
oh, my heart grieves for those who are in pain that do not know how to seek solace and comfort. Lord, we are so unworthy to deliver Your message of peace and acceptance, but, would You allow us the responsibility so we can deliver others out of their misery, their hopeless existences, their struggle with sin like playing with fire?
situations like that are so uncomfortable, ash. i am wondering why. is it because we know what they are feeling and that it almost is justified? is it because we are embarassed for them? is it because we think that they are crazy to be so rude and blatant? i hope it is because we are uncomfortable with sin and extremely fed up with others having to live lives drowning in sin.
Wow. I think reactions like those are so wonderful. I really think that when a person is at a point most discomfort with hope, that's a realization begins. At least there is thinking.
I hope all people come to this point.
I can definitely say the result is worth the discomfort experienced.
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