Disciples
I hate seeing someone hurting and there is nothing I can do. Maybe that is why I dislike funerals. I am glad I can go and be a support, yet it breaks my heart to see sadness and not be able to offer enough comfort to make it better.
In these past few years I have sat with one of my ballplayers as they buried her mom and not too long after, her grandmother. I sat with my best friend as they buried her 9 year old nephew. Today would have been April's 33rd birthday - one if my junior high ball players who died in a car wreck in high school. Too many to list and another added to the list.
I am thankful I can at least offer my support through my presence. What can you really say in those moments? Seriously, even if you had the perfect thing to say, there really is nothing to say that will take the hurt away. So you stand guard, watching over them as an angel in the back. You offer a shoulder and you hold them for a moment. They still hurt though, and your heart aches for them.
Growing up we used to joke about the scripture, "Jesus wept" as being the shortest and easiest to remember, etc. Yet, it is quite a powerful story. Having been informed of Lazarus's illness, Christ delays going to him until after his passing. When Christ finally arrives, the sisters of Lazarus are distraught over his passing and the time that has gone by as his body laid in decompose. As Christ views the scene, he weeps with them.
There really was no reason for Christ to be so emotional. Sure, Lazarus was his friend, yet Christ knew that he was about to raise him from the dead. Christ had shared this with his disciples when they brought the news of his illness.
But Christ wept. He felt the sorrow, and even though he knew everything was going to be alright, he had such compassion for those whose hearts were breaking that his broke too. In that moment there was no way to fix the sadness, so he offered the best he could, his empathy.
I get death and all of that. I know where we go, etc. I have no doubts and no fears when it comes to dying. I celebrate the thought of that person being perfected in mind and body. I find solace in the thought of loved ones being there to welcome them. I understand that those who have passed are never far away and sometimes the veil between us and them gets quite thin. And yet, even with this knowledge, the pain is still there in the eyes and hearts of those who are saying goodbye. Even with the knowledge that everything is going to be just fine, all we can do is follow the example of Christ and mourn with those who mourn.
When we serve one another, we are serving Christ. When we offer our hearts to someone whose heart is broken, we are being Christlike, doing his work and providing the spiritual comfort he would give if he were here himself.
I don't like seeing people in pain. Whether it is from the loss of a loved one or someone just having a rough day, it breaks my heart. All I can do is offer a hug, a shoulder to lean on, a friend to sit by quietly. It may be simple and it is the spiritual gift I have been given. Mourn as you need, I will watch over you. It is a difficult role sometimes, and it is an honorable one. It is one I am proud to do and will always do my best to fulfill.
Today I was not alone in that role, a new experience. As we walked back to our cars, we stopped a moment. In a pause, I about said, "do you feel that?" A calm and peaceful moment in time, felt in the heart, confirmed by the spirit. In love and compassion we had given what we could to comfort our friend. It was not only our comfort, yet as his disciples, the comfort of Christ.
Seems I have been doing this more and more. I am glad that Christ trusts me to get his love and comfort out there. I may just be the messenger, yet I am pure of heart and genuine in the message I bring.
In these past few years I have sat with one of my ballplayers as they buried her mom and not too long after, her grandmother. I sat with my best friend as they buried her 9 year old nephew. Today would have been April's 33rd birthday - one if my junior high ball players who died in a car wreck in high school. Too many to list and another added to the list.
I am thankful I can at least offer my support through my presence. What can you really say in those moments? Seriously, even if you had the perfect thing to say, there really is nothing to say that will take the hurt away. So you stand guard, watching over them as an angel in the back. You offer a shoulder and you hold them for a moment. They still hurt though, and your heart aches for them.
Growing up we used to joke about the scripture, "Jesus wept" as being the shortest and easiest to remember, etc. Yet, it is quite a powerful story. Having been informed of Lazarus's illness, Christ delays going to him until after his passing. When Christ finally arrives, the sisters of Lazarus are distraught over his passing and the time that has gone by as his body laid in decompose. As Christ views the scene, he weeps with them.
There really was no reason for Christ to be so emotional. Sure, Lazarus was his friend, yet Christ knew that he was about to raise him from the dead. Christ had shared this with his disciples when they brought the news of his illness.
But Christ wept. He felt the sorrow, and even though he knew everything was going to be alright, he had such compassion for those whose hearts were breaking that his broke too. In that moment there was no way to fix the sadness, so he offered the best he could, his empathy.
I get death and all of that. I know where we go, etc. I have no doubts and no fears when it comes to dying. I celebrate the thought of that person being perfected in mind and body. I find solace in the thought of loved ones being there to welcome them. I understand that those who have passed are never far away and sometimes the veil between us and them gets quite thin. And yet, even with this knowledge, the pain is still there in the eyes and hearts of those who are saying goodbye. Even with the knowledge that everything is going to be just fine, all we can do is follow the example of Christ and mourn with those who mourn.
When we serve one another, we are serving Christ. When we offer our hearts to someone whose heart is broken, we are being Christlike, doing his work and providing the spiritual comfort he would give if he were here himself.
I don't like seeing people in pain. Whether it is from the loss of a loved one or someone just having a rough day, it breaks my heart. All I can do is offer a hug, a shoulder to lean on, a friend to sit by quietly. It may be simple and it is the spiritual gift I have been given. Mourn as you need, I will watch over you. It is a difficult role sometimes, and it is an honorable one. It is one I am proud to do and will always do my best to fulfill.
Today I was not alone in that role, a new experience. As we walked back to our cars, we stopped a moment. In a pause, I about said, "do you feel that?" A calm and peaceful moment in time, felt in the heart, confirmed by the spirit. In love and compassion we had given what we could to comfort our friend. It was not only our comfort, yet as his disciples, the comfort of Christ.
Seems I have been doing this more and more. I am glad that Christ trusts me to get his love and comfort out there. I may just be the messenger, yet I am pure of heart and genuine in the message I bring.