People

Thoughts

In class at church today, a man asked a question which on the surface meant one thing.  If you paid attention to his grammar, the question would be, "What is suffering?"  If you look under the question to the intent behind what he was asking, another picture appears.  A struggle in this man's mind to what he fears, what he struggles with.  The idea that Christians suffer scared him to his core.  He seemed to want to be reassured that suffering isn't as bad as it sounds or something that he doesn't have to face because he walks with Jesus.  I wish I could tell him and reassure him that he should not have a care in the world, you are in the hands of the man from Galilee.  For he is, but there is an aspect of the Savior's life that we sometimes gloss over.  We see first the benefits of believing in Him and living life in His will, where there is an enternal reward of life everlasting in harmony with God, forever and ever, amen.  However, we seem to forget the price paid for that.  The cross and the humiliation of being called a blasphemer, a bastard, and demon-possessed caused Him suffering.  And if we are to walk like Jesus did, then there will be suffering.  Maybe not the cross, but bills to pay, uncertainties, men wanting jihad, and the list goes on.  I wish I could tell him that it will be alright, for it will be in the end.  But sometime, sooner or later, he will suffer.  Not because Jesus dislikes him or is making him earn his way into the kingdom but simply because we live in a fallen world.  As fallen men and women, we make choices that impact everyone else upon this mortal coil.  The best blessing I may be able to say to him is, "Strength and courage."  For we all battle with the unspoken fears of our daily living.  One thing I am sure of, though, this trial cannot be avoided.  It must be embraced.  What we fear, what we rage against must be faced with strength and courage in His name and His will be praised. 


Ponderings

I took a class called Assessments.  I hated this class.  Our job was to diagnose and to say in colorful, flowery language that some people are . . . crazy.  There.  I said the "c" word.  Let me give you an example of this:  After testing and assessments, you find that the person who took the assessment is out of his mind, one cannot simply just say that.  The phrases "crazy as a loon," "off his rocker," and "out of your ever-loving mind" are simply not used.  The good doctor taught us well.  We are to say things like, "This person exemplifies behavior found in a clinical group where one's grasp on reality is short of the standard measurement."  "This person illustrates thought processes that are non-compliant with reality."  "The client's attitudes suggest that they are not acquainted with time, place or person."  I thought I would never get this right.  The process was, to me, torture, making a great diagnosis and expressing it in a "preferred" manner.  Sometime after taking this class, I had to do an official report to an unnamed government agency about an unnamed client.  My supervisor at my externship had to sign off on the report before it could be sent out to the unnamed government agency.  After reading the report, his words were, "This report would have done the old man proud."  Some of you who are reading this might know who the old man is.  In fact, the old man may be reading this!  If you are, thank you.  Some days, things that we don't like to do should be done in excellence.