love for others

A few weeks ago, in church, our youth group shared their experiences of their recent visit to Tonga.  All the "born here" aussies said how confronting the poverty and scant resources were.  They were not used to dirt floors, cooking fires outside the buildings, basic bathroom facilities and many other inconveniences. They were not used to eating, sleeping and living in a very small house, with only a few rooms.

One young man however, did not feel this.  He was a recently-arrived refuge from Sudan.  He told how the conditions in Tonga made him yearn for his homeland.  He spoke briefly of his homesickness and my heart yearned along with him.  I felt his pain. I felt great compassion for him.  I prayed for God to ease the sorrow of separation he feels for his home.  Perhaps he has family who are still in Sudan.

I have never been a refugee; never had to flee my beautiful Australia;  never had to leave family behind in a beloved, but broken and conflicted land.

Sometimes I don't feel loved by God.  Sometimes, I feel punished by Him.  Yet, when my heart ached for this young man's alienation and sorrow, I knew that this was God's doing.  Of myself, why would I feel another's grief or suffering?  Love is from God, and when we love others, or cry with them because of their suffering, God is there, in that space, with both of us.http://wwuca.unitingchurch.org.au/

I've been watching Miss Fisher's Murder mysteries on the abc.  I love to see the beautiful clothes the main character wears.  I was thinking today, that when I get to heaven, I will be able to wear whatever clothes I like;  they might be made from the finest silk with exquisite design and cut;  beautiful soft drapy clothes with lovely colours and accessories.  And there won't be any pain or suffering in my world there, so I will be able to indulge my penchant for beautiful clothes, to my hearts delight, because there will not be the need to give my money instead, to mothers who have not enough food for their children, or villages which have no fresh water, or fathers who can't afford to send their children to school.

But then I thought that really, the clothes I wear in heaven, will be all the treasures I've gathered on earth;  I will be sartorial in all the faith I've kept, the kindness I've done;  the kind words I've spoken;  the times when I've turned away wrath with a gentle reply;  the times I've forgiven those who have hurt me;  there will be thousands of garments to choose from, all spun from the gold and precious stones which I've collected on my earthly journey. 

God in dark valleys

All of us have times in our lives when we pass through a very dark valley.  Some of us walk them over and over;  some of us have enduring sorrows or illness which impact us every day. We cope in different ways.  In all our dark days, God wants to be there to walk through the valley with us. 

For some, this presence is very real, in the person and spirit of Jesus;  for others whose experience of God has perhaps been overlaid with some kind of alienating experience (often from the organised church or some prattling Christian who offers trite advice and bible verses, without any empathy with suffering);  for these, the presence of God is not so clear.  But God is still there.  It might be in the kind word of a nurse who listens as we endure a long night of pain or bewilderment;  it might be an act of kindness from a stranger;  it might even be through some worldly advice.  I heard recently of a person who was at the end of his own resources being told, “tie a knot in the rope, and hang on”.  God is there in all that, and more.  Lord of compassion, give us obedience today, to deny our own egos and let your love and care, pass to those we meet today. Give us humility, so we can see you in the faces of those who suffer.