“If God spared me from a worse experience, why didn’t he just spare me from the whole thing?” That’s what my honest self, or (occasionally) my cynical self, really wants to know.
I am still recovering from a pretty serious head injury, nearly six weeks ago. I fell flat on my back, off a ladder and onto a concrete floor. I didn’t suffer any spinal injury. I did break my skull in 3 places, and bruised the little brain inside. One friend said, “The angels must have put padding under your back before you hit the floor.” I said, “But they missed getting it there in time for my head.”
For years, I’ve had an answer for other people’s experiences in this category. Actually, I still tell myself the same answer. Because that answer seems to fit when I consider the stories of real people recorded in the Bible; and it seems to fit in real life, now.
Without experiences, we have no story. Without story, we only have a religion.
When God (or whatever coincidence or smarts we imagine) spares us completely from an injury or casualty we don’t even realize, we have no story. We haven’t learned anything.
On the other hand, every experience is the beginning of a story. And painful experiences seem to write the most profound stories.
My lightweight story of pain seems nothing in comparison to what others have experienced–from the suffering of believers in the Church around the world, or the losses that some of my close friends have felt through sickness and death. There have been times I have literally envied the evidence of a more passionate love for Jesus that came directly from a story of severe suffering. Of course, I quickly came back to my senses.
However, we don’t decide what elements go into our own stories. We only choose what our story means, in the ultimate scheme; we choose how it shapes our view of life, of the purpose of life, of the essence of our life in Christ.
The powerful stories of people, both in Scriptures and in the world we experience, prove to me that God grows people in astounding ways through their story—a story that always includes unexpected pain.
Through life-changing experiences, we have a story. With a faith-based interpretation of story, we can joyfully grow toward the ultimate prize—a life of full partnership with Jesus.
A great word, Merle! I’m so glad you are blogging. You have so much wisdom to share.
Good stuff
Merle,
In Spite Of Your Falling And Bruising Your Little Brain, I Am So Grateful To God It Wasn’t Any Worse.
I Really Enjoyed This Story In Your Blog. You Show Us With Each Time You Blog, A Little More Of Who You Are. While We Are Cousins… My Older Siblings Know You Better Than I Do. What I Knew About You Was That You Were Quiet, And Seemed To Be The Contemplative Type 😊 But I Always
Enjoyed Getting To Hear You Share Your Stories Of Being A Missionary To Redlake, Everytime You, Rita, And The Girls, Came Back To Marlboro Mennonite, And Cornerstone…To Share The Good Of What God Was Doing In Your Missions Work In Redlake.
Looking Forward To Your Next Blog Post.