The Fly in the Ointment
One evening while relaxing in a comfortable chair, I mindlessly turned on the television. As the screen flickered to life, I realized that I was watching a man preach in a renovated sports arena to a crowd that appeared to number in the thousands. His message was simple: think positively. Think good thoughts. Speak faith, not failure. Believe you are prosperous and good things will follow you as rainbows follow the rain. It was incredibly smooth. A soothing essence dripped from the words of the preacher that seemed to comfort the audience.
Like many of our readers, I could evaluate what I had just seen with a sophisticated level of discrimination. In a world where succeeding is the most critical "issue" many people face, any detour or obstacle is sure to create debilitating stress and disappointment. The preacher was merely offering a blend of self-help, positive thinking, and old-time self-determination. After all, isn't God interested in helping His children get ahead, enjoy their success, and live prosperously?
The fly in the ointment, so to speak, is the ugly intrusion of suffering.
Like rain, suffering falls on everyone. It is no respecter of persons.
In this issue, Holiness Today tackles this subject and investigates it from a number of angles. Daniel Gomis and Steve Doerr relate the suffering that often comes with Christ's cross to the reality facing West African Christians. Al Truesdale moves into the very center of the problem with his insightful discussion and conclusion.
Chinua Achebe, the Nigerian author, once said, "When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool." This powerful statement reminds us that suffering is a part of life, even the Christian life. All of the positive thinking and positive imaging in the world cannot evict the presence of suffering from one's life.
When suffering knocks, then barges into one's life, shall we curse its presence, acquiesce to its demands, or try to ignore it, pretending that if we repeat our new mantra often enough, it will go away?
The eminently quotable Winston Churchill once said, "We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival." Even a cursory examination of those words challenges us to another question: "What means of inspiration and survival?" What if one witnesses the "eclipse of God," as Truesdale writes? What then will be our means of inspiration and survival?
Susie Shellenberger affirms what we as members of the Christian community believe that Christ is with us even in our suffering. It is the presence of the cross that reminds us of God's familiarity with suffering. This reminder also speaks of God's amazing, vulnerable love that risks suffering. No wonder then, that Dietrich Bonhoeffer could write, "To endure the cross is not tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ.
Youth throughout the world face challenges they must negotiate in order to reach their goals, or in some cases, to survive their environment. Starting with this issue, Holiness Today is dedicating a new section to significant matters facing youth. "Evolve" will offer spiritual insights and pertinent information that will help them discover their own personal encounter with Christ and the adventure of a transformed life.
David J. Felter, editor in chief
Holiness Today, March/April 2008
Please note: This article was originally published in 2008. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.
