ENVIOUS WOUNDS

One wouldn’t think that there could be any real joy in comparing scars. I was in a church once where that was the reality. Basically, people took pride in what they regarded as suffering.

The thing is when it came to suffering their idea of suffering was a lot different than mine. For one thing I found it rather difficult to view someone as suffering to any great degree who considered such things as having to paint their house as traumatic or an ordeal. That might seem a bit of an exaggeration, but from the mindset of these folks this type of event was a crisis.

And so here was this small band of middle class individuals who all had homes, reliable sources of income. Plus all the usual trappings of affluence that honestly viewed themselves as poor suffering saints of God.

It was true with regards to age issues since they were faced with a great many understandable health problems. But for the most part they were divorced the realities of having to cope financially with being a working person in this day and age. Or any of the other demands that people without financial security often faced.

I wouldn’t want to deny anyone the blessings or prosperity they had earned, but I did still find it sad that a person would try to put worrying about the repair to a house in the same category as someone with serious problems. It was a matter of perspective I suppose. I just wonder at times if they honestly had the capacity to understand that it hardly took the same level of trust in God as it would in other situations. Fretting over some remodeling chore just didn’t seem to me to be the same as say being homeless and worrying about your next meal.

Still in this situation the people often loved to demonstrate how much they were obviously being faithful because of all this alleged suffering that took place. The only thing they didn’t do was say a whole lot about their praising of God for his mercy and giving them strength to survive some crisis. It was more as if the focus was proofing who had the biggest scars and thus was the most suffering of all the saint in that climate.

In the spiritual tapestry of life where we weave the seconds with a needle of thought and actions, it is hard at times to see it as God sees it. Everyone has peril in their life to some degree. But I don’t think the point of it is in order so we can turn our suffering into being a bigger cross to bear than anyone else.

Redemption is a more than a process of saving the soul. It will touch other aspects of life. Including our ability to see how suffering in a much different light than we first imagined.

It is never intended to be some badge of honor worn like a medal. We aren’t supposed to gather together and decide, which of us has the most tribulation trophies.

May the light of God’s purposes shine intently into our eyes. And help us to always see his will in the midst of our tears. It might not give us a reason to boast, but it will always give a reason to pray and praise.