Featured Image: Jesus meets the contemplative pilgrim
Where is Jesus is our times of difficult? The Savior, a Man of Sorrow is with us during our times of grief, struggle, and difficulty. Truthful, yet comforting insights from late Pastor Timothy Keller:
1.Jesus is a Man of Sorrow and Joy
Because He defeated death and resides with Heavenly Father, He is alive and present. His Holy Spirit works, moves, and guides us in our faith journey.
Pastor Keller writes: emphasis mine
““But look at Jesus. He was perfect, right? And yet he goes around crying all the time. He is always weeping, a man of sorrows. Do you know why? Because he is perfect. Because when you are not all absorbed in yourself, you can feel the sadness of the world. And therefore, what you actually have is that the joy of the Lord happens inside the sorrow.
From Sorrow to Joy
“(Joy) It doesn’t come after the sorrow. It doesn’t come after the uncontrollable weeping. The weeping drives you into the joy, it enhances the joy, and then the joy enables you to actually feel your grief without its sinking you. In other words, you are finally emotionally healthy.”
― Timothy J. Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
Commentary
https://www.gotquestions.org/man-of-sorrows.html
The light in this A.I. represents God’s presence streaming into the rural, quiet chapel. God reminds us of His nature and care through everyday, common graces such as warm sunlight, beautiful places, and peaceful feelings after times of difficulty.
2.Dark Valleys and Sorrow are Inevitable but so His Presence!
“God does not say, “If you go through the fire” and flood and dark valleys but when you go. The promise is not that he will remove us from the experience of suffering. No, the promise is that God will be with us, walking beside us in it.”
The biblical accounts of Daniel in the Lion’s den, and the three young men thrown in the furnace remind us:
God was responsible for the supernatural protection of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. This story stirs hope in the believer’s heart, for we know that God is with us even in trials.
Trials may be unavoidable in this life, but we have a risen Savior who has promised to be with us. Jesus, the One who was with the three men in the furnace, promised, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Source:
https://www.gotquestions.org/who-was-in-the-furnace.html
They had hard choices to make: follow and trust in God or submit to the godless dictates of a worldly king. We daily make choices with consequences. Are you choosing His path? Walking in His Way, seeking to be more like Him? May He increase your courage as you discern your daily steps!
Ideal day of sailing in the harbor: gentle breeze and calm water.
3. There is a Deeper Meaning and Significance to Our Sorrows
There’s a cost to becoming a wise and compassionate person. Timothy Keller speaks on the role of suffering in shaping us:
“Do you want to know who you are, your strengths and weaknesses? Do you want to be a compassionate person who skillfully helps people who are hurting? Do you want to have such a profound trust in God that you are fortified against the disappointments of life? Do you want simply to be wise about how life goes? Those are four crucial things to have—but none of them are readily achievable without suffering.”
“No suffering is for nothing.”
Several Important Elements to Explore
Knowing Self
Do we know ourselves? What influences how we view ourselves? How we view ourselves impacts how we process and respond to events and people in our life! Integrated attachment theory refers to this internal filters: how we perceive and interact with life. Suffering, disappointments, and difficulties reveal weak areas in our character.
Recently, I’ve struggled with career choice/poor fitting jobs that drain me and burn-out. These struggles indicate deeper patterns of thinking, need to heal core wounds, and participate in a healing community. Staying in the same frustrating, draining place doesn’t facilitate moving forward, growing, and adapting.
Canva Pro Stock Image: Two friends encouraging each other in gym
Skillfully Assisting and Caring for Others
It’s difficult to sit with someone in a difficult season if you’ve never experienced dark seasons yourself. Example: young athlete discussed his struggles with a physical injury and waiting for answers and viable treatment. Dealing with painful foot injury myself: I understand when every step hurts and yet work must continue and no one notices or seems to care.
My normal workplace activities caused me to develop a painful foot condition. When I discussed this with my superiors they were quick to tell me about how they had faced the same condition. At the same time they refused to reduce my hours. Their callous indifference revealed itself.
Growth comes through testing and refining. This is the biblical example. There are no shortcuts to living as a person of virtue, integrity, and Godliness. Jesus models this for us as recorded in the Book of Hebrews.
Bitter Disappointments
We experience bitter disappointments in areas of our lives. People will forget the good we did for them. That’s the reality of life with broken, sinful people. We show integrity and kindness, others notice our goodness and take advantage. Some will spread slander, gossip, and back stab for any slight opportunity to advance or to strike back against you. Others will resent your success or promotion. They will be passive aggressive in sabotaging progress/necessary improvements.
The Crab Mentality/Crabs Bucket Effects Explains this well.
Wise about life
Wisdom gives us discernment. We demonstrate discernment in how we respond to people and events in our lives. We practice self-reflection, seek the whys behind our thought patterns and behaviors. Carefully considering our emotions and what is going on at the root level in our lives.
For example, the emotion of anger is a warning sign. When someone or something “causes” us to feel intense anger, we reflect and carefully consider the situation. Is it the other person? Or is it something inside of us that needs God’s healing touch?
May His Light warm your soul as you walk in His Ways. May His Light warm you for the dark nights, cold winter seasons of your journey.
Journey of Wellness, Movement toward Healing
I write these articles as someone who seeks to grow and mature. It’s not an easy or lazy pathway to walk. Some days are bitter struggles against my own failings and feeling despair because of the brokenness around me. Yet, what matters is the daily, simple encounters with others. Showing compassion, kindness, listening, and praying for/with others brings light into our present dark age.
Every age since the fall has been dark. Perhaps we are just more aware of the deep bitterness, darkness, and rage that has been concealed in our society. But, we can make a difference when we choose to walk in truth, compassion, and grace. This is our call and our reason for being alive.
Words of Grace & Hope 