H/T to FB friend LM for this quote. The "Emmanuel truth" in this reflection is one that needs to be preached and prayed over and over again. We are so easily tempted to believe that faith is somehow supposed to save us from pain and suffering. That we fall for this is all the more amazing when we consider that we Christians follow the One whom we image as victorious because of his death on the Cross.
What God has promised us in Christ is not, as is unfortunately so often preached and believed, a life free from pain, sickness, loneliness, oppression, and death. The preacher who tells you that you will have less pain in life if you take Jesus seriously is not in touch with the gospel. What the incarnation promises is not that Christ will do away with our pain, but that God will be with us in that pain. That is something quite different. In fact, one can go further and say the opposite: If you take the gospel seriously, you will probably have more pain in your life because you will be a more sensitive person.
To take the gospel seriously is not to be given immunity from the human condition. For the Christian, as for everyone else, there will be the same sicknesses, the same cold lonely seasons, the same painful frustrations, the same choices that are regretted, and the same bitter losses. Like everyone else, too, eventually we will have to face death. Faith in God does not, in this world, save one from pain, misunderstanding, loneliness, and death. Faith does not offer a life free of pain. What God does promise is to be with us in that pain. That is why our Savior's name is Emmanuel, a name which means God-is-with-us.
Are you happy? For the Christian, the important question is not: "Am I happy?" but "Is my life meaningful?"
- Ron Rolheiser, OMI
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Amen! I would add one comment -- often, the pain gives meaning to life. It may take years before we understand the value of some of the difficulties we have survived, and (the hardest to accept) we may never in this lifetime learn the significance of other difficulties we have survived, but it is in the experiencing of them that we truly live. (And I do think that does bring happiness -- a more "real" and less superficial happiness -- when we see the bigger picture as described in your post and accept the pain and God's presence in it with us as a rendezvous with grace.)
ReplyDeleteIf there was ever a more important post to comment on, for me, it would have to be this one- at least for where I am, right here, right now-
ReplyDeleteI need to say first, this morning while waiting for the bus to go to work, I very briefly looked at this post- not the entire post, but the little summary that I am offered through the service that lets me know when you have new postings...
just from that very brief look, I knew that this was what I needed-
and I formed my own thoughts (that, to my surprise, were very much like what I read here now tonight)
specifically, "Faith does not offer a life free of pain."
This morning, not having read this part, I thought to myself:
faith is what carries me through all of my pain- it is what is getting me through my days-
oh, it is so hard at times, and frustrating- and I often question, well, a lot of things-
but somehow, I am still going-
at least for now, for TODAY-
and my faith is why.
your questions: "Are you happy?" and "Is my life meaningful?"
To be honest, no, I am not happy-
and no, or, I am not sure, if my life is meaningful- or actually, I am not sure how to know, or how to make my life truly meaningful-
because, I think, this is because I don't feel meaningful.
But this is where my faith comes in again.
Thank you, Concord Pastor, and all who read this-