I was reminded this week again about how painfully difficult life is for some people. That through no fault of their own they have suffered at the hands of others – be it sexual abuse when they were a child, or beatings by a father who would otherwise never speak to them, or the death of an intimate partner, for the third time – “Whoever I love dies!” At times, suffering seems to stalk some disproportionately more than others and it makes one want to yell at God and say, “Are you blind, or do you simply not care?”
This depth of pain is such that one does not “get over” it—ever! One may be able to live with it in less debilitating ways and by time, work and grace may even live with it in life-giving ways—but it is always there living with us.
There is something very humbling about being in the presence of one who has suffered so much. Perhaps because their lives have been taken beyond the trivial forever, never to return. They literally do life at deeper depths.
What further moved me was that none of these people sounded like a victim. Their language was free of bitterness and blame. They had such a sense of ownership and responsibility to live life fully and freely. Their life—though scarred—was still their life and they were determined to live it.
Thank you Lord for inspiring people!
Grace, Alan