There are some days that can’t be fixed. Some incidents, some tragedies, some mistakes….
Just can’t be fixed.
And I try…. Oh BOY, do I try…..
I think that if I can just think the right thoughts, say the
right words with the right tone of voice, give the right perspective or point
to the right things…..
It will somehow be better.
Happier. There. Fixed.
“Look at the bright side,” I say. “You have your health…”
“You can have more children.”
“He lived a full life”.
“You’ll find new friends.”
“She obviously wasn’t ‘the one’.”
“Things will turn around.”
“Everything happens for a reason.”
Have you ever noticed how pointing out facts doesn’t ever
make a person feel better?
Truth is….. and this is hard…..
None of the above can
Cure cancer,
Bring back the dead.
Heal the sick,
Restore a relationship,
Re-grow a limb,
Change a childhood,
Change anything.
Because for us, having a thing “fixed” would really mean
rewinding time and having it never, ever happen.
Before the diagnosis.
Before the accident. Before they
ever met.
We, I, want it to have never happened.
And the fact that I can’t undo anything in this world
frustrates me. I encounter a hurting
person who is also powerless to turn back time and I panic. I grasp for anything…. anything that sounds happy or positive or good to say because….
well…I don’t know….. Maybe whatever good I can find for them will outweigh the
bad?
Wow. Isn’t that just
shockingly lame? I think the Bible backs
up this statement as well:
“Like one who takes
off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on a wound, so is one who
sings songs to a heavy heart.”- Proverbs 25:20
Yikes. As it turns
out, all of my well-meaning “buck ups” and pats on the back bring the same
result as taking a person’s coat from them as they stand out in the freezing
cold or pouring vinegar on their wounded flesh.
I actually cause greater pain in their lives when I remind them of all
they “really should be thankful for”….. or whatever.
Alright. So I can’t
fix it. I can’t lift the burden from
someone else’s heart. I can’t turn back
time so that it never happened. The “good”
I identify will not cancel the hurt, the shame, the sadness, the anger, the
despair. So what am I supposed to do?
As you may have guessed, Andy helped me answer this question
this week. He saw a little girl, Sammie,
crying on the playground all by herself during recess. He stopped and asked her what was wrong. She, of course, was having a bad day. One he couldn’t fix. Unlike his mother, though, he didn’t even
attempt to fix it. And that made all the
difference.
“I just want you to know,” he said, “that Jesus loves you. And in this sinful world we are going to have bad days. But in Heaven, there won’t be any bad
days. There won’t be anything bad at
all. And Jesus has prepared a place for you there.”
There. That’s
it. He didn’t try to minimize her pain,
point out the shining sun and spring foliage, or offer numerous solutions to
her problem. He gave her hope.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we
have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and
we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but
we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about
perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven
character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the
love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who
was given to us.6 For while we were still helpless, at the
right time Christ died for the ungodly.” –Romans 5:5-6
I’ll tell you the truth. I’ve got family members who’ve recently had
terrible diagnoses, friends dealing with ruined childhoods, a broken heel
myself, and I can’t fix any of it. And no
amount of comparison to others “worse off” or desperately searching for good
will change anything. It’s terribly disappointing.
But hope. Hope in Jesus Christ, who brought me and them
and you peace with God by dying at the right time for us…. the helpless…and has
introduced us by faith to God’s undeserved favor because of His unfailing love
for us…. Hope in His glory
Does not disappoint.
Reader, in this sinful world, there
are going to be bad days. When you are
being tossed and pummeled by the waves and wind of the torrential storms of this
world, cling to your anchor. Shout out
to the others to come cling to it too, and watch with excitement as your God
shows up to be glorified. And as He
works in these frail, helpless beings…..
Perseverance
Character
Hope
He will be glorified.
And you will not be disappointed.
What we really need to hear on the
hard days is the truth. And the truth is
that this world is fallen. We are broken. We are helpless.
But God didn’t leave us there. And His Son came and saw and healed and died
and rose and now….
Prepares a place for you. And me. And them.
With Him. Exult, reader, in these tribulations because
your hope leads to sure victory in eternity with Him who pours His love out on
you forever.
And when we encounter the hurting, those adrift in the sea,
those rocked by tragedy, those out in cold…..instead of becoming coat thieves,
instead of reaching for the vinegar, let’s grab their hand and pull them to the
anchor.
“We have this hope as
an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind
the curtain”- Hebrews 6:19
Behind the curtain is all they need….all we need….
the very presence of the God who is love.
