Of Ice and Adversity
/What a yucky weekend with freezing rain, snow and ice pellets. We ended up canceling our Sunday service due to the weather, as did many other churches. News reports from yesterday included tallies of car crashes, flights canceled, school closures, power outages and downed tree limbs. Now it's a sloppy mess and there is concern about flooding.
This past Sunday I was going to preach about Thomas, often called Doubting Thomas, and how Jesus appeared to some of the other disciples and then to him. They were also concerned for their safety and maybe even struggling to find hope as they locked themselves in that house. Talk about adversity - their leader had just been killed and they figured that they were wanted men and next on the hit list. Life as they had known it was now a mess they had no control over.
Thomas often gets a bad rap. But Jesus has great patience with Him, showing up a second time to ease Thomas' anxiety and disbelief in the midst of his grief. Jesus shares peace with the disciples, breathes the Holy Spirit on them and then expects them to not just hole up in cocoons but to get out and do something. Now, I have to admit I wasn't terribly upset to have a Sunday off in the midst of a busy time. Sleeping in was quite nice. But yesterday I had to go out and do things. I ended up being given opportunities to spread some joy and took God up on it, even as my yellow rubber boots splashed through slush.
We will all face adversity and sadness and challenges - in our personal lives and in ministry. We also have the choice of how we respond. If we're paying attention, God offers us a breath of peace and a way through that we might not anticipate. I could have been grumpy about not getting to preach and shaken my fist at the nastiness outside. Instead, I saw it as an opportunity for a much-needed Sabbath, napping and finishing a jigsaw puzzle and even watching a church service on tv that ministered to me.
At least part of my response was due to gaining some perspective. I had the privilege of attending the Bible Society Dinner for Woodstock Branch last Friday night and hearing the National Director, Rev. Dr. Rupen Das, speak about religious persecution and refugees. He told many stories of things he has recently witnessed around the world, and I wished I'd brought pen and paper to take notes. One story in particular stood out for me of a north African country, probably Algeria, where it is illegal to build a church. Those who have become Christians there are so passionate about their faith that they pool their money and buy abandoned buildings to use as churches. This way, they are following the law and can't be arrested.
I still like the saying of turning lemons into lemonade. No matter what situation we find ourselves in, no matter how challenging or unjust, how upsetting or unsettling, we can choose to either trust God or panic and blame God. I saw an interview with a minister from Nipawin, the town the Humboldt Broncos were traveling to for a playoff game, who talked about how tragedy can either soften our hearts and turn us to God, or harden us and make us run from God.
When adversity strikes, we can seek out God's breath of peace from the Holy Spirit. We can stop, hand over what is happening to God and actively listen for what we are called on to do, in that moment and those that follow. We may just be asked to be still and know that God is God. That may be enough. We may be called to have better awareness of those hurting around us who lack the resources we have. We may be called to take a step back and gain a different perspective before assuming the person causing us pain is intentional and cruel.
We can actively look for the ways that God is already showing up in the situation and blessing us in small ways that replenish and begin to heal us. We can remind ourselves of God's provision in the past and that this trial is not our forever. Even though winter seems to be never-ending, and erratic temperatures are keeping us a bit on edge, change is coming and spring and warmer weather will arrive. We can acknowledge our lack of control and our reliance on God's timing rather than grimly fighting what we can really do nothing about. I would rather use my energy to strive to be in harmony with God, although depending on the trial I'm facing that can be easier said than done.
We can also remind ourselves of the resources we have to face whatever challenges us. Along with our previous track record and God's faithfulness in the past, we have colleagues, prayer lines, the Bible, family and friends, our own self-care practices, the ability to live in gratitude and awareness of how blessed we are even if it doesn't feel that way so much right now. Hearing about religious persecution worldwide and the fierce struggle of refugees definitely put a small ice storm into perspective for me.
I pray that whatever adversity you are facing right now becomes a blessing in some way and that you may even be able to find humour in it, if not today then some time down the road. I pray that you are able to trust in God and stay soft and open to whatever God wants to show and equip you with in this season. May your life be enriched as a result.