Hello ,
I
have to freely admit to you from the outset of today's e-Devotional; I hate to watch someone suffer physical pain. In my profession, I witness it more than I want to, and yet I feel somehow privileged to share it with the person who is struggling. That may sound like a strange way to begin a devotional, but I have a reason for it.
There are many people in Christendom who desire a Jesus who makes everything O.K....all the time. And still, we often see physical suffering in ourselves (or others,) that can cause us to question whether or not he actually cares.
Recently I stumbled onto a series of videos by a pastor that I am
quite amazed by. Ed Dobson is the former pastor of a 5000+ member church, and now he is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease. He has a take on the idea of suffering that took my breath away. He doesn't pretend that it doesn't exist.
He doesn't act like it's all going to be O.K. in his physical world. This video doesn't
sugar coat many of our pre-conceived notions as to the "why" of human suffering, but it very aptly embraces the idea that we also have a Jesus who chose to suffer for us. This idea can give us strength and courage for each new day.
Watch this video clip for yourself, and I hope you'll grasp what he's trying to share:
May God give each of us the strength to understand and to wrap our minds around the idea that Christ's life, and His example is worthy of emulating. We have a God who understands us. He IS one of us.
Have a great day and God
bless!
