Moving Towards Sin and Suffering
“The cumulative testimony of the four Gospels is that when Jesus Christ sees the fallenness of the world all about him, his deepest impulse, his most natural instinct, is to move toward that sin and suffering, not away from it.” Gentle and Lowly by Dane C. Ortlund.
“It takes all the sting out of a disappointment if we see it as Paul did. Isn’t it interesting that never once does he call himself Nero’s prisoner, though he was chained by Nero’s chain and in Nero’s cell? This has been a great comfort to me. We don’t admit the domination of Nero—no, not for an hour. We have to do only with the sovereignship of Christ.” - Amy Carmichael.
Today is my son Nate’s birthday. This is the third 4th of July without him. As the years have gone by, some still remember but most do not. It seems like after a relatively short while only family and a few close friends remember unless we remind people through social media, etc. Unless you’ve lost a child, you have no idea how powerful a simple, “I’m thinking about you” can be.
“1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. - John 9:1-7
Jesus is sovereign over all of creation. Even so, he is humble and lowly. He is fully aware of everything that happens, before it happens. Everything that happens is working towards the display of his glory. We have Paul, the man born blind, and so many other examples from the Bible of how Jesus is working out salvation and displaying his glory. Nate is not just another example of this to us because he was our son, a much loved brother, and a friend to several people. The impact of his loss brings us to the point of having to make a choice: trust Jesus or not. We, by the power of the Holy Spirit, trust in his sovereignty. We will run towards sin and suffering in the strength of the Lord and to display his glory to those who he puts in our path.
We hope we can encourage others who have experienced extreme hardship. We want to live out out lives as encouragers and warriors for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.