A Letter to a Friend

I realize that my last posts have been pretty intense. The topics and themes covered in them are important to me and it just happens that this seems to be a more heavy handed season in my life, but lest anyone think that my life is always like this or that I'm not having enough fun...this will be my concluding thought on suffering, at least for now ;) But I do hope that it has somehow encouraged those of you who are in a place where things are tough for you or your loved one.

Started to write the following in a letter, but then realized it would be better to post it as a blog...so here is a part of the letter that ended up here rather than personally directed to this friend:

Dear _______.....There's a new book published called The Life of Meaning, a compilation of essays by different authors. I want to get it, but trying to break the bad habit of buying books on a whim. It looks interesting. One of the authors is Madeline L'Engle and in it she is quoted to have written,

"I know that where there is no suffering, nothing happens"

Hmmm. I don't like it, but I think I may have to agree as I reflect on the gospel meditations and hear so many people around me echo much of what you've shared in terms of doing well only to find that things can so quickly change. I'm all about claiming the triumph of the resurrection---but somehow I still mix that up with the current western culture of being just happy or content, positive all the time---and forget to acknowledge that we live in a broken world with messed up people and things...maybe the most faithful thing we can do or be is to live in the tension between the two....resurrection promise and brokenness: Because somehow in that tension we experience God.

All around me lately, I've had people who doubt God in the midst of world suffering, unanswered prayers and the general brokenness that one faces in life. Okay must include myself in there somewhere. My grand theological observation to all of this? Any type of suffering sucks and nothing can really remove that element, but I’ve also seen how God creates the possibility for blessing too… like the meaningful moments of shared suffering between friends and community; mutual empathy that goes beyond a polite, "I'm sorry to hear about what you are going through"; raw prayers that are not about how articulate you are or praying out of a sense of duty. It’s hard for me to embrace what I’m about to say, but I think it does open you up to experience the love of God with more depth and beauty and often leads you to appreciate the most basic, simple things in life with greater appreciation and value......praying for you...