Ride the Lion
I have come to a disconcerting realization that church people avoid sanctification by adhering to rules rather than allowing God to transform their hearts. Recently, I found myself in a discussion about alcohol in response to an article in Relevant Magazine about Christianity's Most Famous Beer Enthusiasts. The discussion, while good natured seemed to quickly stray into the bounds of legalism, a religious predisposition that is more dangerous than any other I know. It reminded me of the dangers thereof as well as the good intentions that often fertilize it's root, inspiring me to address the issue here. While the example I am sharing relates to the use of alcohol, the issue is much further reaching.
But what happens when they don't get better. When your child is born mentally disabled, it is a life sentence. I have a friend with a severely disabled son. He isn't going to get better. The trial isn't going to end. He will need constant attention for the rest of his life. Statements like, "just hold on" give no hope to situations like that. Physical strain is compounded by fear in the form of questions like, "What if something happens to me?" or "What if I can't take care of him forever?"
The same kind of long-term suffering comes with emotional and mental illness. Christians think that depression is something to "bootstrap" your way out of. Sometimes people tell you to just have faith for God's healing. Others just dismiss you as weak. The trial doesn't end.
Sometimes in the midst of following Jesus, you find yourself beaten down by life. I'm not talking about just a bad day or a bad week, though that fits too. I'm talking about years of unending loss, stress, and trouble.
It feels like being caught in a storm at sea and being thrown against the rocks again and again. Before you have recovered from the last wave, you get hit with another and another for years.
Where is God? The question is inevitable.
Lots of people struggle with the idea that God is good and powerful yet allows evil and suffering to exist. This video from Jon Oleksiuk shares a compelling theory.
