I met her on a sunny morning in southern Spain as we sat beside each other at a conference. We quickly discovered a love for walking with Jesus and bringing His light to the nations. Later that afternoon she found me and was quite emotional as she told me that the police were at her language school in the north African country where she serves and were asking lots of questions and she was very fearful that maybe she might be getting kicked out after 13 years of serving there. All of the sudden, everything she knew to be certain was in question.
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Following the Signs
In October, we walked the pilgrimage of the Way of St James (aka el Camino de Santiago) in northern Spain. As we walked we learned we could only go as fast as our feet would take us and we only knew the way by following the marked signs. So, day after day, we trusted the path and the signs and delighted in the unhurried pace and being present to the beauty all around us. One day we were walking up a mountain part of the path and we were deep in conversation so we missed a sign. A little further up the wayward path we heard a whistle…
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Come To Me
I got to wondering today, are any of you struggling to access joy this week like I am? Honestly, I feel guilty if I’m happy about something because there’s just so much hard everywhere right now. The urge to look at the news is constant and draining at the same time. I can’t imagine the horrors on the other side of the world while I sit in my warm house safe and secure. And, I hear a whisper:
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The Stunning Glory of Good Friday
A bloodied, battered, and suffering Jesus, stripped of his clothes, nailed to a cruel cross, is lifted up in utter humility and shame in full view of the public. This, my friends, is the greatest expression of God’s glory.
I have always thought of God’s glory being revealed in the most representative way on Easter morning. With rays of light and victory in Jesus’ grasp, its easy to see why. When you think of the glory of a king, you think of his palace, his authority, and his strength.
But in recent days I have come to see that the glory of our Triune God is seen in its fullest on the awful cross of Good Friday. Why do I say that?
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Practice Resurrection
Last week we received news that three more anticipated events were being cancelled. It is the season of death. Death of people, yes, but also death of dreams, of plans, even of hope.
The Sentence of Death
The apostle Paul knew this dark feeling well. He writes in his letter to the church in Corinth:
“We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death.”
2 Corinthians 1:8-9
Perhaps you are feeling the “sentence of death” on your life these days. Perhaps like me you see no end in sight and are fighting the urge to despair.
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Expressing Loss
- I’ve lost a trip I had planned to visit global workers in SE Asia.
- I’ve lost routine in my day.
- I’ve lost having control over anything.
- I’ve lost getting to see my family and friends.
- I’ve lost assurance of availability of good health care.
- I’ve lost being able to go on a walk outside and feel the sun on my face.
- I’ve lost being able to plan for the future.
- I’ve lost alone time since my kids are always home now.
- I’ve lost financial security.
- I’ve lost independent decision making ability.
- And many more…
Part of our role with Barnabas as Directors of Staff Care and Development has been to facilitate a weekly gathering of our staff online for a prayer and praise hour during our time of quarantine around the world. On a recent call we asked our staff to share losses they had experienced because of this virus. Maybe you too can identify with some of those listed.
We’re all experiencing unprecedented loss; some of you may even know someone who has died from the Covid-19 virus. So what do we do with this loss? What is that low level hum of anxiety or discomfort we are experiencing to varying degrees every day? How do we talk to God about any of this? Where even is He?
A while back Jen and I were asked to go down to Ecuador to spend some time with a group of global workers (that’s what we call missionaries) who were struggling through the closure of a school where their kids had been attending. Schooling options (or lack thereof) is one of the biggest stressors for cross-cultural workers, so this was a pretty big deal for these families. They were struggling with a number of unpleasant emotions arising from this decision.
As is the norm we arranged a number of private meetings with several of the singles and couples working there. Our main goal for those meetings? Just to listen. Really listen.
And we did so more imperfectly than you might expect for someone who does it for a living. But we did our best to create a safe place, and in response, out poured the stories… pain, confusion, hurt from leadership or teammates, fear, uncertainty, hope, faith… well you probably recognize these things in your own story. These people were in tough situations, with no obvious solutions, and we didn’t have any to give them.
I don’t think we solved a single problem during our time there.
Upon our return to the U.S. I was relating this to a friend who asked, “Isn’t it frustrating to travel somewhere to help people and not be able to do anything to fix the situation?”