Church bulletin
It is six months ago that I last penned a devotional for the church bulletin. Of course much of the time in between was spent in and out of hospital. We are slowly adapting to our new situation and would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support during this challenging period. God has wrapped His grace around us even as His providence has been dark and painful.
There is a phrase I heard from church history professor Carl Trueman which he quoted from a friend – “painful privilege”. It was used by the friend in relation to caring for a child with an incurable illness. I don’t remember the exact details, but that is the general context. It is a phrase which has remained with me and one which I feel captures our own situation.
There is much that is painful in having a severely disabled and dependent child – for him and for the family. Yet strangely it is also a blessing. Don’t get me wrong, if I could wave a magic wand and have Lewis running around outside, I would. However with the pain has come privilege. There is an unusual kind of blessing in helping the helpless; it is very tiring and yet eminently rewarding. Perhaps it presents a kind of parallel with the patient, abundant care God shows toward us. We are not only helpless we are also underserving. Consider how God views sin and the effect it has on Him, “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” (Gen 6:6). Could it in its own way also be a painful privilege for Him as He looks after our every need. It pains God when we sin, yet He loves us.
The greatest privilege of caring for Lewis is that we have opportunity to reflect something of God’s character to him. We are able in some small way to show and pass on the love we have received. The Lord Jesus Christ came as a servant, and in our particular situation we are to imitate Him by serving Lewis. It’s not what we would have chosen, but it’s what He has chosen for us, and His ways are best.
The reality is, if we do not learn to lay down our lives for others, we not only rob them of blessing, we rob ourselves of blessing. It is a privilege – a painful privilege to imitate Christ in servitude. Let us remember that the greatest blessing has come to us through the greatest pain. If Christ means something to us, we will delight to reveal Him to others even when it comes at personal cost – and it will come at personal cost.