Ambassadors in a Broken World

Elsie came in with an anxious countenance.  Her husband had been in mental decline for a number of years and it finally came to the point where she could no longer care for him and he needed to be placed in a ‘home’.  They have been married for 50 years and like most couples it hadn't always been easy. He was hard to live with but putting him in ‘the home’ was the hardest thing she had ever done.  On top of that there was the financial implications.  They had a nest egg set aside but the cost of ‘the home’ was more than she could handle.  She was a strong woman and had weathered much pain over the years but this was so overwhelming.

Barry had agreed to meet with her to go over her options.  He had some experience in dealing with the process because his Dad had been in a facility and knew the pain, confusion and difficulties that Elsie was facing.  He realized that she needed someone to talk to, someone to vent her frustrations and pain.  Barry had many things to do that day.  It was an unusually busy time of the year but he knew that this is one of those times when being ‘Jesus with skin on’ was more important than that report he needed to get to or the fundraising golf classic he was scheduled to attend.  It has his time to be an ambassador in a broken world.

            I found many opportunities to minister to people in the business context, especially the insurance business.  When tragedy strikes, catastrophe overwhelms and a life is derailed I am the one they could come to and find not just a financial help but also a listening ear, a compassionate conversation and a concern for how they were feeling and navigating the pain.  Having someone to help them navigate the contractor to call, the clean-up company to mop up after the firefighters had left, a hotel room to stay in and clothes to wear until they could get settled.  That goes beyond just the financial transaction.  It is empathizing with their pain and disruption.

        That's what it means to be 'Jesus with skin on', a real representative from the kingdom.

Is Good Really Good?

I recently had a conversation with a person who was struggling with some of the challenges of life.  There had been a serious illness, serious financial setbacks, and the garden variety issues that would be considered bumps in the road. We typically talk about good things in terms of how it makes me feel and how it makes my day.  It usually means going the way I want things to go, getting what I want, not having any problems or difficulties. Life is just good

The problem with ‘good’ is that nothing very important or ‘good’ comes out of ‘good’.  What I mean by that is I don’t grow or mature or get better if there are no challenges or difficulties.  If everything is going along smoothly and I don’t come up against an obstacle or struggle; I get complacent, rest on my laurels, kick back and coast.  That is okay for a little while but sooner or later I am going to be on the shelf, in a rut, and not growing anymore. 

 

            Ignatius of Loyola taught about consolation and desolation.  These concepts are profound and give us a new paradigm to see what is really good.  Ruth Haley Barton has a great definition for both “Consolation is the interior movement of the heart that gives us a deep sense of life-giving connection with God, others and our authentic self. Desolation is the loss of a sense of God’s presence; indeed, we feel out of touch with God, with others and with our authentic self. It might be an experience of being off-center, full of turmoil, confusion or even rebellion.  

         How I see my circumstances is so much more important than the circumstances themselves.  God uses all circumstances in my life to mold and shape me.  I can choose to be pliable like clay allowing his hands to push and move me the way he chooses.  An alternative approach I can resist and be like granite and  require chisel and hammer to chip and break me into what he desires for me.  Which way will you choose? The easy way or the hard way?