Faith

What Do You Do With Suffering?

/ Erin Kirk / 1 Comment

With all my recent chatter about contentment, it seems wise to tiptoe up to that bloated, hateful beast called suffering.

calla lillies in the window light

(Photo credit: shannylynne)

Because I can hear you saying, “Oh yes following Jesus is all hearts and rainbows for you, but I have cancer, or the bank just repossessed my house or my country is beset by civil war. I mean, would a good God really allow all this suffering?”

First of all, I am so sorry. I am. Suffering sucks. However, the question of suffering has vexed religious scholars forever, so my answer to why God allows it is:

I DON’T KNOW.

But I’ve got a few hunches gleaned from The Bible and some bathroom mirror posts to help you through it. If you don’t happen to be suffering right now, read on anyway. It’s good to be prepared.

1. The Bible says the world’s rent is paid by the father of sin and death, and he roams like a lion seeking people to destroy. A lot of people are following that lion, by choice or default, therefore we ought to expect destruction. Why doesn’t God step in? He did. He sent Jesus who demonstrated how we are to live here – forgive your enemies, take care of the poor, love and obey God – then he died for our inability to do it.

2. There is an epic misunderstanding about the price of following Christ. Jesus told his disciples it would cost them everything, but it would be worth it. I don’t know who started the Christianity = hearts and rainbows rumor, maybe that’s just American zeitgeist, but take a note from the Apostle Paul.

I’ve worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death’s door time after time. I’ve been flogged five times with the Jews’ thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once…I’ve been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by the desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers…And that’s not the half of it. II Corinthians 11:23-27 MSG

Paul suffered mightily but he believed Jesus won, so he could handle it. I believe the same thing so, when the lion attacks me, I can appropriate this promise in Psalm 91.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty (Whose power no foe can withstand). I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely on and in Him I (confidently) trust.

3. Sometimes God doesn’t remove our suffering because he’s using it to make us stronger and more compassionate. We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, Paul said in Romans 5:3-5. So while we’re groaning under the weight of that process, here’s another for the  mirror.

…be satisfied with your present; for He (God) Himself has said, he will not in any way fail you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down. Hebrews 13:5

I struggled hard with that scripture because for many people, like women and children sold into sexual slavery, it seems patently untrue. But faith only works if you know God’s word and trust it. So when I posted Hebrews 13:5 and read it every day, I began seeing evidence of it in places I had overlooked. That made me trust it more. The more I trusted it, the more active I became in fighting those ____fill in the blank____ who buy and sell helpless women. I only cared about that theoretically before. Now, it inflames me so much I financially support those on the front lines; and from time to time my unholy, potty mouth runs away with me – sorry.

Do you see? God works through people who trust Him with their own lives first – especially in the suffering.

We are assured and know that all things work together and are (fitting into a plan) for good to and for those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose. Romans 8:28.

You are not alone. Hang in there.

What Would You Rather Be Doing Right Now?

/ Erin Kirk / 1 Comment

Contentment with my life, my thighs and God are just a few concerns I’ve been mulling over since hearing blogger/author Susie Davis talk about them.

As a contentment practice, Susie told us, she set a reminder on her iphone to buzz her each day at three. The reminder said,

“What would you rather be doing right now?”

“She has to be kidding,” I thought. “That would be a disaster for me because I can think up 50 things I’d rather be doing at any given time.” Things like..

going here….

or doing this….

or maybe this…

Skeptical, I tried it anyway. I set my reminder to ask every day: What would you rather be doing right now? For the past seven days, the answer has been: “Nothing. I like what I’m doing right now.”

That surprised me and made me wonder if I’m a little more content than I think I am. Here’s a seemingly obvious pearl of wisdom, that was a revelation to me:

Just because you think something, doesn’t necessarily mean it is true.

The longer we meditate on things, the easier they become our reality, ie: the more I wish I were in Paris rather than East Texas, the more miserable I usually become. This little iphone trick has shown me that while I always think I’d rather be in Paris, the evidence doesn’t always support that.

Writing

(Photo credit: jjpacres)

For the last seven days at least, I was perfectly content, sitting at my desk, just doing this.

Try it, and if the result surprises you too, comment about it.

Scripture Help for Depression & Anger.

/ Erin Kirk / 4 Comments

A few people have asked, what’s up with The Bible stuff? Why are you doing it?

Here are the top three reasons:

  1. This isn’t me but it feels like it. Nice, France.

    I was anxious, lonely and depressed after moving to Texas. I thought, “if I don’t find something to help me get out of bed every day, I won’t.” I’d already read everything by Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Louise Hay, Eckhart Tolle and Oprah. I’d read The Purpose Driven Life, Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting, the Yoga Sutras and The Secret and I was still lying face down on my bed. Why not add The Bible to the list? Why not read the best-selling book of all time and do what it says as an experiment? That’s literally how much thought I put into this, nearly-three- year project.

  2. I wanted to be a writer, not an insurance salesman. I didn’t have the courage to pursue what I wanted and I was jealous of people who did.
  3. I was burdened with rancor for the Religious Right, Republicans, Monsanto, Karl Rove, The Bush Administration, BP, Enron, Lehmann Brothers, Fox News, the pharmaceutical industry and the machine that created Justin Bieber. But that was proving tiresome and unhelpful.

So I read The Bible, studied it and tried to do what it says. Here’s what things look like two and a half years later:

This isn’t me either. Not yet. Nice, France

  1. My life didn’t get easier. It got harder. The holy magic wand that many Christians secretly expect as a reward for their obedience, didn’t pass over my life and sparkle everything up. Instead, my attitude toward my circumstances changed, which takes practice. Life is hard now like swimming in the ocean is hard – especially when the current is strong – but I swim every day with determination because it’s rewarding. Eventually, I hope to swim gracefully, for long periods of time, with many other people, because swimming in the ocean is fun and an awesome privilege.
  2. I write every day. When I was stubbornly forcing my life, plotting, competing, conniving, I got to sell insurance. When, per The Bible’s suggestion, I surrendered all that to God, I got the space and the courage to write a book.
  3. Rancor still raises its ugly head but The Bible helps me choke it. I quit watching the news because the American media is in the business of feeding indignation. It was making me bitchy and that sometimes soured relationships with people I like, who happen to vote Republican. Thanks Google and Twitter for making this possible.

So here are two scriptures I used to combat depression and anger and one I used for courage. My teacher put the text in the first person, which makes them easy to say out loud. Stick them on the bathroom mirror. They help.

Depression – God is my shield, my glory and the lifter of my head. Psalm 3:3

Courage – I am strong, vigorous and very courageous, I am not afraid, neither am I dismayed for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go. Joshua 1:9

Anger – I speak soft answers that turn away wrath, not grievous words that stir up anger. Proverbs 15:1

Try it and let me know how it goes.