Often times in life we run into situations where the best we can do is just show up.
Showing up, being yourself and letting things unfold can work much better than worrying about what might happen, thinking - you aren’t ready, good enough, the wrong person at the wrong time, or a million and one other things we might find to think about that reinforce the reason why we should opt out.
For a Christian, the faith that things will be okay if we put ourselves in God’s hands can work wonders in giving us the confidence to proceed in a difficult situation. Attending to a person who is sick, visiting a grieving person, stepping into any human situation where someone is suffering, with the intention of providing comfort, a shoulder to cry on or just a listening ear is an opportunity for us to make our self an instrument of God’s infinite compassion and love. Simply giving in, letting go of our anxiety and having the faith that Jesus will guide us provides us with the courage to move forward.
We know this to be true by example. From the Christian social worker, minister, nurse, or millions of other examples of people right where you live that do God’s work everyday in millions of little ways. The beauty of a deep and abiding faith is that it frees a person. Frees us from our self-doubt, negative self-talk, allows us to forgive ourselves for our human frailties and get on with the business of living everyday to the fullest.
Having faith allows a person to be a compassionate calming steady presence in circumstances where pain and suffering are causing the people involved to lose their bearings. It’s taken me a long time to start to understand this, and at fifty something I have a lot to learn. Thank God and all the good teachers I’ve encountered over the years on my path.
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Christians of course don’t have the corner on human kindness and if your philosophy of life, or religion, allows you to be present, compassionate, kind and helping in times of other’s needs, or for that matter in times of your own needs, then may God bless you.
It’s hard for me to fathom in some particular instances how a person without faith - without a sense of awe - mystery - spirituality of some sort; would be able to approach those situations in life where they, or someone they love, are suffering greatly. It would seem hard to not have overwhelming feelings of panic, dread and sadly - hopelessness in the utter meaninglessness of it all.
For a non-spiritual atheist who believes there is no mystery in life, that "it" is all right here - it's unclear to me how that person could be present for a person who is suffering what seems to be unbearable physical or pyschic pain. To stand beside that person. It seems to me that would be very hard. I’d think the inner voice would be saying, “this is scary, sad, hopeless….”
The key is the last word – hopeless. Without hope there is nothing. Suffering and death is pointless and therefore extremely frightening and unbearably sad. A Christian would be scared and sad but having hope, faith and love could work through those feelings to help themselves and others. To go on, to fight the good fight, to finish the race, knowing, Robert Frost wrote -
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
As they say – whatever brings you peace and joy. If you have worked out your personal salvation and redemption in some secular way, then more power to you.
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Every case we show up for is not going to be heavy, deep and real as we used to say in the 60’s. Sometimes it’s showing up for a meeting, a class or a gathering of friends or family.
Just getting there is 90 percent of the battle. I was in a class last week where a participant said he had found that by giving up on worrying about doing - he found he had a lot more time to spend doing.
May you find the courage to just show up for the things that are important to you.
Wishing you Love – Peace and Joy.
