"Are they servants of Christ? I know that I sound like a madman, but I served Him far more! I have worked harder, been put prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death and again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent the whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced anger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have face danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered I cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:23-27 NLT)
I am currently reading a christian classic: Hinds Feet on High Places. It is an allegory about spiritual life. The main character, a crippled, waif of a girl named Much-Afraid is invited to leave her life of fearing and to ascend to the Great Heights with the Good Shepherd. It is an arduous journey with many perils and pitfalls. She is appointed two companions for the climb; Sorrow and Suffering. Her path prepares her for who she is becoming.
Here, in 2 Corinthians, I see Paul citing his own onerous expedition with Sorrow and Suffering. He lists his hardships in summary form, bullet points on his path to transformation. We could even call them ministerial credentials. This man bore many hardships on behalf of the gospel birthed through him. His spiritual maturity came at a ludicrous cost.
I cannot claim shipwreck or flogging, but I can relate to a private passage of pain, progress and slow spiritual ascent. I’ve got my own bullet points of awful, I promise. I presume that anyone seriously pursuing Christ will wind up with a similar story. There are some heights only accessed through Sorrow and Suffering.
The temptation I detect in Paul’s letter is something that I must guard against myself. Such depth and variety of experience is, in fact, a treasure trove for ministerial connection. But if we aren’t careful, we can become callous and indifferent. We can compare our scars to the unmarred flesh of newborn believers and become discompassionate to their struggle. We can forget how much those first few wounds tore at our untried soul. Henri Nouwen proposes our greatest gift as ministers is our ability to offer solidarity in suffering. We must fight to protect and nurture this gift, remaining emotionally available to the injured.
A personal log of loss and pain can either soften us toward our travel companions or callous our hearts. Honestly, for me, sometimes it depends on the day. But then we look to Jesus – the One who suffered so profusely and purposefully. He remained clothed in compassion, even as He hung on a cross between criminals. We still see a Man of Sorrows willing to listen and respond in love and truth. This is who we must choose to be also.
"Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony." (Colossians 3:12-14 NLT)
Lord, please forgive us for tallying up our losses and forgetting to offer compassion. May our experiences alert us to the pain of the people around us, pain that many others choose to ignore. Clothe us in mercy, keep us aware of the hurt in the world and ready to offer empathy even when we are weary from our own afflictions. Amen.