Today is Friday, before Memorial Day weekend. I am keenly aware this Memorial Day will be "remembered" by contemporary Christian musical artist Steven Curtis Chapman and his family in a way altogether different than the rest of us. Early this week tragedy struck the Chapman family as their five year old daughter was killed. This is a hideous tragedy. All such events are keen reminders that life can be shorter than any of us could ever imagine. Not one of us is promised tomorrow. One unconscious false belief system I see with my university students is a belief that I call, "invincibility". Many young adults (am I sounding old or what?!) think they are promised tomorrow. Then something unplanned, unwanted or unimagined takes place. Because they (or any of us, really) are operating at a break-neck pace of life they have no time to react, much less respond in a God-intentioned way.
This morning I heard an old song by Carly Simon, Haven't Got Time for the Pain. When bad things happen to seemingly good people, when pain barges into our lives like an uninvited intruder, we need to remember the words of C.S. Lewis who wrote after the death of his wife Joy Davidman, "God whispers to us in our joy but yells at us in our pain. Pain is, God's megaphone to a deaf and hurting world." If Lewis could talk to Carly Simon (now that would be a strange conversation!) he might say something like, "You've got to make room for the pain. Pain is one of God's invitations. Pain is an invitation for us to look at the lives we are living, pause and ask at least one question, "Am I living my life with God at the center of all I do or, with me at the center with all my good ideas, good luck, hard work and occasional prayer that is used more like an emergency cord on a parachute?"
Last thought, the picture you see at the top of this posting is one of my sentimental stops in Southern California. I took this picture of a life saving station last summer while Kris and I were visiting family. My mind goes back to that time and, many events in my life since then. Kris and I will go back to this very place again, in July. We all need favorite places to go back to. Every one of us needs a life station station with good intentioned life saving type friends. This Memorial Day my prayer is that the Chapman family has a life saving station (a healthy church) to go to and, friends who will simply be there for them. The best friends are not ones who always have the right words to say, although words can be important. Life saving friends know the importance of availability. I am glad you took the time to read this post. Now it is time, for you to be a life saving friend to someone in need. Who?, you ask....they are all around you...they are called, the world.
This morning I heard an old song by Carly Simon, Haven't Got Time for the Pain. When bad things happen to seemingly good people, when pain barges into our lives like an uninvited intruder, we need to remember the words of C.S. Lewis who wrote after the death of his wife Joy Davidman, "God whispers to us in our joy but yells at us in our pain. Pain is, God's megaphone to a deaf and hurting world." If Lewis could talk to Carly Simon (now that would be a strange conversation!) he might say something like, "You've got to make room for the pain. Pain is one of God's invitations. Pain is an invitation for us to look at the lives we are living, pause and ask at least one question, "Am I living my life with God at the center of all I do or, with me at the center with all my good ideas, good luck, hard work and occasional prayer that is used more like an emergency cord on a parachute?"
Last thought, the picture you see at the top of this posting is one of my sentimental stops in Southern California. I took this picture of a life saving station last summer while Kris and I were visiting family. My mind goes back to that time and, many events in my life since then. Kris and I will go back to this very place again, in July. We all need favorite places to go back to. Every one of us needs a life station station with good intentioned life saving type friends. This Memorial Day my prayer is that the Chapman family has a life saving station (a healthy church) to go to and, friends who will simply be there for them. The best friends are not ones who always have the right words to say, although words can be important. Life saving friends know the importance of availability. I am glad you took the time to read this post. Now it is time, for you to be a life saving friend to someone in need. Who?, you ask....they are all around you...they are called, the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment