When I
was a kid, Sunday school stories were accompanied by fannelboard
re-enactments. Jesus, the
disciples, the
Sea of Galilee and all kinds of other things were put in front of
us to help
our understanding and keep our attention.
More than 45 years later, I can still see them. They were useful!
Unfortunately,
sometimes people grow up and read the Bible in a way that is as
flat and
lifeless as those fannelboard figures. One
simple way to counteract that problem is to pay attention to the
emotions
within the text.
For
years, I missed that part. I
was so busy
looking for the correct teaching that I overlooked what the people
were going
through as they interacted with God. To
get a clear picture of what faith is really like, we must factor
in the
emotional element.
Take
Mark’s account of Jesus’ resurrection.
We could boil it down to the basic facts; the women got up
at sunrise,
went to the tomb, found the stone rolled away, met an angel and
ran back to the
city (Mark 16:1-8). That
is correct, but
it misses a lot of the truth of that morning.
Mark
notes
that the women were “alarmed” (Mark 16:5).
Other versions say they were, frightened, amazed,
bewildered, struck
with terror, dumbfounded, astonished, startled or panic-stricken. He then adds, “Trembling and
bewildered, the
women went out and fled from the tomb.
They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid”
(verse 8). This does not
sound like the serene, calm,
happy resurrection morning that I have always pictured.
Here
is
why this matters: When we
wash human
emotion out of the Biblical account, we end up telling a story
that is neither
true nor helpful! It makes
following God
sound safe, easy and comfortable.
However, the truth is that spiritual growth often takes
place in times
of fear, confusion or bewilderment (Think about Abraham, Noah,
Moses, Joseph,
Daniel, Paul, etc). Those
emotions do not
indicate that we have lost touch with God.
Rather, they may be the best indication that he is near and
doing
something in us and around us that we did not predict and cannot control.
If
you
are confused or struggling right now, hold on!
God has not forgotten or abandoned you.
In
fact, he may be just about to do something you never dreamed
possible.
Comments