“I have much to write you, but I do not want to so so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.” (3 John 13-14 NIV)
I was up in the night, consoling a lonely and sad sixteen year old. 2020 has been tough for our daughter. Long story short, she transferred high schools midterm last year when we moved across the country. Settling into an old and tight-knit community, she struggled to find her people. By second semester, the drama department adopted her. February brought a bout of flu and ten days in bed. She was back on her feet just in time for schools to close across the nation due to Co-Vid. A long lonely spring crawled into a long and lonely summer as missions trips and camps were cancelled. Fall finally came but Co-Vid was still a real threat on her typically was immune system. We opted for online learning. She contracted the virus despite our precautions and six weeks of illness cost her job and what was left of her social life. She has every reason to cry.
It’s hard to see your kid hurt and have so little in the way of solutions for her. Last night I could only stroke her hair and promise that this too, shall pass.
I wonder what God is producing in her story. I know Him well enough to be confident; there’s purpose in her pain. Perhaps from here on, she’ll see the lonely, look out for the people on the periphery and engage with them. Maybe she’s learning to lean in to the Lord, finding Him as the One who stays closer than a brother. Perhaps it’s gratitude being birthed in her young heart. Maybe she’ll never take a room full of people for granted again. I wonder if she’s learning the importance of human connection in a world of screens.
God doesn’t waste pain. Our discomfort, our less than perfect circumstances are achieving something Kingdom. Today I read these words from John, about how he’d rather not write it down, how he’d rather been face to face. I think that’s the collective preference of 2020: we all wish we could be together! But also, I realize that if John had gotten his way, if he’d been with his friends face to face, we may be missing several important books of the Bible. It was because these friends where apart that these books were accomplished and ultimately included in our scriptures God often uses what we don’t understand or appreciate to further His purposes.
We are so close to wrapping up 2020. I wonder, as we watch the ball drop in a sparse Times Square if the whole word doesn’t sign with relief? It’s been challenging, but one day we’ll know the Kingdom benefits of enduring such an age. At some point we’ll be able to assign the fruit to the season and give thanks to the Grower for His perfect production plan.
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confidence hope of salvation.” (Romans 5:3-4 NLT)
Lord, please help us today to know that our suffering is producing something Kingdom. Strengthen us to stay the course and cooperate with Your Spirit. We want to honor You in every stretch of our story, even the sad and uncomfortable seasons. Have Your way in us. Amen.