My First Post–and a Poignant One at That…
This is a love story–a true love story–between a man and woman who, after falling in love, joined forces in spending the rest of their time together as husband and wife living lives of service.
They were devoted to God and each other, created a family–which included seven children–and served in their church and community.
I came across their story on Facebook, which my friend had posted. I was so touched by it that I decided to repost it, and I prefaced it, “A story of two consecrated lives… to God, family, community, and ….”
There was something that Jennie had learned about Brent early on in their courtship that gave her pause. For a moment, it was bit of a shock to learn this thing about him. Nevertheless, despite what she had learned, soon knew that this was the man she was going to marry and build a life with.
As the video plays through, you can see how Jennie peels back the layers of the complexities of life she found herself dealing with. Often, well-meaning people use well-established narratives in an attempt to give comfort and support. They try to fill in the gaps of understanding to help establish–or re-establish–Meaning that was lost through tragedy and other hardships and disappointments.
But life is multi-dimensional, complex, and murky at times. And, one of the greatest challenges of making sense of this mortal sojourn is to try to piece together a life that had previously made a lot of sense!
One of the misconceptions we often face is assuming that things, people and events run on a continuum: Either they are bad, or they are good. They are successful, or they are a loser. There are no in-betweens, nor any amalgams of polarities inherent within the phenomena we encounter in mortality. Such cognitive devices help people cope, but can lead to distortions of realities and forfeit opportunities for spiritual growth.
We often make assumptions of people we admire, who are successful in a visible life domain that we happen to value. Often, these highly visible people are sports figures, musicians, or politicians. We perceive their prowess in their visible life domain. We like what we see then turn them into heroes often based on limited perceptions. Some even worship them!
Yet, we do not see their other life domains, which are not so visible. Many of us would be surprised at how inefficient our so-called heroes may be in other–less visible or invisible areas of their lives. And, sometimes, these other less visible parts of our heroes’ lives become visible. We may see or hear a news story that talks about how our hero beat his wife, or stole money or was seen drunk in public.
But, because of this continuum bias, we tend to deny the realities of these reports. We cannot perceive nor understand how this GOOD person could be BAD at the same time. The reason is because there is no continuum for such. A person could be good and bad. Life can be murky and joyful.
…And, a person can be in deep pain but still have reason to rejoice and have hope!
Faith and Hope are central to the message of Jesus Christ: WE CAN HAVE JOY amidst the sorrow, the pain, the disappointments! When things go wrong, all we need do is look to the Savior Jesus Christ, Who descended below all pains, hardships, anguishes, disappointments, hurts and insults, as He knelt in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Our Savior’s pain and anguish were so great in the Garden of Gethsemane from taking the sins of the world upon Him to atone for humankind, that He bled from every pore:
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Luke 22:44
Often this part of the atonement is overshadowed by the crucifixion–perhaps because humans often don’t think in spiritual terms. We, ourselves, are spiritual beings clothed upon with flesh at birth! When a person has a broken heart, it is their spirit that has been harmed–and spiritual pain can and is often greater than physical pain. Nevertheless, Jesus Christ completed both sides of the atonement for humankind: The spiritual side in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the physical side in Golgotha (Calvary) on the cross.
So, that at the end of His life, the last words Jesus uttered while hanging on the cross were recorded in the Book of John:
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
John 19:31
I have found countless times during my darkest hours that praying to my Heavenly Father in the name of His Son Jesus Christ brings me the peace, comfort and understanding I need through the Holy Spirit. By doing this on a regular basis, I have come to understand the complexities of my life challenges as I peeled back the layers of challenges I have faced
Often I have turned to the scriptures–the word of God–to find the answers I needed. It is said from time to time that, when we pray, we talk to God. When we read the scriptures, He talks to us, and I bear witness that He does so through the Holy Spirit.
Peeling back the layers of the complexities and pain with which Jennie was dealt, she chose to move forward in faith, showing the resilience that comes from God–often through the instrumentality of trial and tribulation!
Discomfort, pain and hardship are not signs that God does not loves us. As Jennie, states, if anyone had a reason to say life is unfair, it’s Jesus Christ! He lived a sinless life, yet He was arrested, mocked, scourged, taunted, humiliated, then crucified.
Yet, HE LIVES! And His grace is extended to us in our times of need by the power His atonement as we turn to Him with faith in our hearts! Jennie knows this. And you can see how this power lifted her up and empowered her to move forward in a mighty way, continuing to serve others!
As you watch this short video, you will learn early on exactly what Jennie learned about Brent soon after they started dating. I was so moved by Jennie’s strength, I later posted a response on YouTube. (Check it out after watching the video.) I could say more, but I think I’ll let Jennie tell the rest of the story.
Yours in Christ!
–Tom