Into the Neighborhood

"Only a suffering God can help."

                                                                                                              - Dietrich Bonhoeffer


When we suffer, we need Immanuel; we need the very presence of God.

It does not matter if the suffering comes in the form of a parent who is spiraling downward into the dark depths of age and Alzheimer's; the death of a child; or some disease, like cancer.
In my personal journey, I've had up's and down's; today I'm on an upswing because I have once again been declared 'cancer free' and the tumors from my spleen were non-malignant. 

The day will come when some other tragedy or trial will come into my life, as it does everyone, and new truths about suffering will be revealed.
Yet, as for now, it is a celebratory mood in my life; but we cannot forget to serve, praise and worship God in the light after we have turned so strongly toward Him in the darkness. 
In our grief, more than anything else, we need God's presence; it is something that is beyond value and worth more than words can express.

Bonhoeffer's quote above is classic.
It is an amazing statement which points straight to the Cross - when we were held captive, He became the ransom, setting us free.

In doing so, Jesus proved once and for all that He is indeed on the side - not of the wealthy, the healthy, the beautiful - but on the side of the sufferer.
The reason is because He suffered for us.

When God chose to enter the world, it was in the most intimate and vulnerable way.
He chose to come as a child; a helpless child.
Presumably, the eternal Son of God could have chosen any manner in which to enter the human world of time and space; yet, He chose the most vulnerable and dependent way - that of a child.

During His life, Jesus endured all types of suffering; including His own.
But when Jesus encountered these instances in His life, He did not espouse philosophical theories or theological lessons; Jesus reached out toward others with healing and compassion.
This gives us an indication as to how Christians should respond to those who suffer in our lives.

Jesus never answered the question as to why there is evil in the world; nor why the innocent suffer and the evil prosper.
Could it be so obvious that He didn't need to speak to the issue?

The one thing Jesus did do was come near.
The fact that God came, God suffered - in our suffering, that helps. 

Somehow, it helps.

In coming, we know that God is not remote anymore; He's willing to experience everything you and I experience.
And this is not experiencing it as a removed party or an unconcerned vicarious notion; no, He was willing to experience the same temptations to sin, the same tragedies suffered and ultimately the tallest limitation we have - death itself.

When Jesus came, He moved into our neighborhood.
Therefore, now, when we suffer it is not alone but with God on our side and at our side.

Yet, this brings up the simple question as to why; in return, it has a simple answer.
He does it simply because God loves us.
God is near and is as upset as we are over the situation in the world.
He is enduring with us; therefore, we can endure.

God is with us, not beyond us, in our suffering.
And no matter how loud our internal screams might be, our how noisy our pain might be, Christ is God whispering in our ears, "I am here."



Regardless of what we endure, that helps.

Until next time, win one for the good guys.