Suffering + take up the cross: Pent 16C-2016

Topping my list of the absolute worst theological statements and beliefs is:

“God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.”  What a load of crap!

This morning we are going to take a few minutes to reflect on suffering. Drawing on Deuteronomy’s description of human living and Luke’s discussion of taking up the cross.

A simple dictionary definition for suffering is: the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship.

I have heard, “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle,” ascribed to the pain of serious illness, divorce, a children born with birth defects; attributed to distress caused by grief, anxiety, depression, or family turmoil; referring to hardship that includes losing property or job, experiencing accident, abuse, or crippling poverty.

I’ve heard it used as if God is a doctor prescribing medicine to each individual patient; or a cosmic card dealer dealing out ‘character building situations’ to those strong enough to hold the cards. Does this sound right to you? How does it make you feel?

“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. … therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”

The interpretation of this passage, and others like it, have helped Christians write the book on what suffering is all about; and it always includes pain, distress, or hardship; particularly hardship.  Christians have practiced from the Middle Ages that taking up the cross – was suffering and suffering was a badge of honour, and merit, where more suffering assured one of being more religious, and more faithful.  The more one suffered the closer one was to God.  Christians adopted practices of austerity, deprivation, and self-harm, as seen within monastic traditions; in the global south, crucifixions almost to death were performed as a way to enter Jesus’ suffering.  Physical suffering was the way to be holy and encounter God.  A “martyr complex” was created in the church, fueled by a Protestant work ethic, where doing more than the next person, being involved in every church project going and letting everyone know it, taking on tasks of service to the point of near martyrdom, was encouraged. “Biting off more than one can chew,” as long as it was in the name of God, was good. Goodness and holiness was the key.  Holiness was equated with those things understood as virtues: the most virtuous of virtues -  suffering.  To be a good Christian one must take up their cross.

Returning to the words of the Gospel of Luke, it says nothing of taking up one’s cross: Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. It reads, “the” cross; not our cross, not our suffering!  Take up the cross is all about Jesus. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, God became vulnerable, suffered, and died; entering suffering God redeemed pain, distress, and hardship, in that God is now present in it.  Taking up the cross is a metaphor and a reminder that living passionate lives filled with the sharing of the Gospel may mean death because of one’s actions and beliefs; it may, it may not. 

A foundational scripture for me, in creating a theology of suffering- an understanding of suffering- is found the words of God written in Deuteronomy: “I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.”  “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.” Life, prosperity, death, adversity, blessings, curses are once created and ever present; each is a choice that human beings can embrace.  Human beings can approach life’s circumstances with an attitude for life, prosperity, and blessing, or approach living turned towards death, adversity and curses.  There are suggestions of course to help human beings make the choice of life.  Deuteronomy suggests that one follow the commandments and love God.  

Actually these suggestions are the greatest coping mechanism for suffering – consider, if one is consistently applying themselves and molding their life to love God (a power beyond themselves), and focusing on their relationship with people around them; there is no space for the dwelling on the complaints one has, or hanging on to baggage, or continually mulling over circumstances until they become pathological realities in a person’s life.

I like the words of author and motivational speaker, Dan Millman, he describes in everyday language the intent of the writer of Deuteronomy.  Pain is a relatively objective, physical phenomenon; suffering is our psychological resistance to what happens. Events may create physical pain, but they do not in themselves create suffering. Resistance creates suffering. Stress happens when your mind resists what is... The only problem in your life is your mind's resistance to life as it unfolds. 

Resistance creates suffering.

When you think of people you know, who do you classify as suffering? And would that person describe themselves as suffering?  I will often hear, in pastoral conversation, someone refer to another and say, “they have suffered a lot, pastor,” generally meaning, “they have been through a lot- more than I could have handled.” When talked about it is usually with a certain amazement that the other has found a way to cope and manage their way through the predicaments in which they have found themselves.  The person has shown strength and exemplified grace.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer,  had an interesting thought, he wrote in his, “Letters and Papers from Prison:” We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.  Perhaps in the attitude of choosing life and blessing, living the commandments, and loving God – we exemplify grace by paying attention to those whom we consider to be in the state of suffering (whether they think so or not).  How would this change our relationships and focus our hearts away from death, adversity, and curse?  In giving allowance for the suffering of others, does this not open our hearts to forgiveness, rather, than, judgement? Is this not choosing life?

Martin Luther King, Jr. said: Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. Justice requires sacrifice – putting others before ourselves---suffering, as in uncomfortable circumstances; and struggle as in the bringing of truth is not always easy. 

All are tempered with passionate concern, of course that is passion directed at and for others– and it is the elixir that dampens potential suffering brought on when fighting for justice.

What are you passionate about?  Reading? Gardening? Research? Whatever your passion, find a way to take that enjoyable part of your life, and make it of benefit to the whole world.  Choose one thing. One passion. And through that passion declare the Good News to all people; through that passion proclaim life, grow prosperity, embark on blessing, and an outward bound attitude, and then whatever befall, beset, or betide you, you will be blessed. This is not the Prayer of Jabez, where praying hard enough turns into wealth, accumulated accolades, and rising up the social ladder.  The prosperity and blessing is in the relationships that you have fostered with yourself, others, creation, and God. It is through non-attachment to your possessions, non-attachments to what your parents thought you should be, a non-attachment (or a hating) of beliefs imposed on you that are not good and wholesome – it is in letting go of these things that bind us and cause us on some level to be pulled into suffering--- that by letting go we find life with purpose; abundant blessing.

My prayer for all of you, is that at this moment, you let go of personal crosses -the baggage- you carry, so that you focus on the cross – the cross of Jesus; such that your life is changed.  You don’t carry your own cross, you don’t carry the cross of others; you share a focus of heart and mind, and that is choosing to follow and bear Christ’s cross; which was once suffering and death, but, is now redeemed--- where holding others and relieving suffering (as you see it) keeps you from suffering suffering.

Today, choose life! “Be like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.  In all they do, they prosper.”

We handle the circumstances and situations of life because in community we bear with one another, and God’s love is made complete; in fullness God is present.

We can handle more because it’s a given that God is present.

On my list this theological statement ranks near the top.