Acquainted with suffering

“He was despised and rejected by others;
   a man of suffering^* and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces^*
   he was despised, and we held him of no account.” Isaiah 53:3

It is a normal human reaction to want to turn away from suffering—our own and the suffering of others.  Seeing suffering stirs up feelings about our own frailties, our own vulnerabilities…our own mortality.  And when the nature of another’s suffering is unfamiliar to us, or we do not know how to ‘fix’ it, it is very difficult to not turn away.

How many of us with long term mental or physical health challenges have encountered friends, family members, colleagues, or health personnel who have tried to give quick solutions, easy answers, or even dismissed symptoms as being “in our heads” because what we were facing was extremely difficult to face and answers were far from forthcoming?

Even as I write this, I must reflect that, as a pastor, I too remember times when another’s pain was too difficult and unfamiliar, and it was out of my power to make things better, and so I said something stupid, or made a quick exit.  Not because I necessarily wanted to, but because I didn’t know what else to do.  Often, I wasn’t even conscious of my turning away until later.

There are days on the journey of chronic illness where suffering is intense and can be ongoing. Things out of our control and understanding can knock us flat, figuratively and literally.  It is not an easy thing for me to name and admit.  I would much rather be that ‘brave’ person that talks about encouraging things and always looks on the bright side. But, folks, that’s not always our experience of life, is it? This journey can be very hard.  And certainly, suffering is not the monopoly of the chronically ill. Suffering is a part of life.  We just may have the opportunity to experience it more frequently in certain ways.

So where do we turn when the suffering is intense, the infirmity debilitating, and the pain nearly immobilizing?  Where do we turn when the world’s quick fixes, easy answers and simple solutions dissipate like dust in the wind in the face of our everyday reality?

Where do we turn when life just hurts? 

We turn to the one who is acquainted with infirmity.  We get to turn to the one who is familiar with suffering.  These phrases were used to describe the ‘suffering servant’ in Isaiah’s writings.  These were some words used to describe what God’s Messiah would be like, and they have become words to describe Jesus.  Where do we turn?  I invite us to turn to the cross.

It is on the cross we see that God’s answer to intense suffering, debilitating infirmity and immobilizing pain is not a pat answer or easy response, but a deep and very real understanding of the suffering of humanity.  It is in the cross that Jesus reveals to us a God that doesn’t run from suffering but runs to the suffering ones.  It is in the cross that we see the God who doesn’t abandon the hurting, but goes into the very depths of suffering.  It is the God who brings light into the darkest places, and brings new hope and transformation out of the bleakest situations. 

The cross is not an easy answer, or a quick fix.  It is the sign of the God who is in relationship with us no matter what—the God who is acquainted with suffering when others may turn away—the God who knows our infirmities and meets us in the middle of them with a transforming love that will never let us go. 

If you are hurting today, please know you are not alone. There are days where that's where I am too. There are others who come here who know what it is to face pain and suffering in many ways. I invite you to share with me and with others here what you are experiencing so we may be able to reach out and support you. 

But most of all, please know that Jesus understands what you are facing.  Turn to him. You will get much more than a quick answer or a temporary solution…you will get the presence of the One who knows what you are facing… you will get Jesus.

O God, hear the cries, the tears, the agony of your people. It isn’t pretty and most folks want and need to turn away from suffering, but we know that you don’t, and you won’t.  Where there are those who are hurting, be present, Lord. Bring comfort, peace and hope, and work through us to share compassion, comfort and understanding with those who suffer. Thank you for never abandoning the hurting and suffering—even when it is us.  Amen.