We studied Jesus at the home of Mary and Martha this past week, a story which is found in Luke 10:38-42.
In going over that passage some more this week, I especially noticed the passage before it, which is the story we commonly refer to as 'The Good Samaritan'. Scholar Fred Craddock has this to say about this section of scripture: 'Jesus has met a man skilled in scripture who has trouble hearing the word of God, and Jesus offers him an example, a Samaritan. Now Jesus visits with a woman so busy serving she does not hear the word, and Jesus offers her an example, her sister. To the man, Jesus said to go and do; to the woman, Jesus said to sit down, listen and learn.'
As we look this week at a bold story of some friends who will stop at nothing in order to bring their ailing friend to the feet of Jesus, I confess that right now I find it hard to be that bold. Weathering a season of my life that seems short on answers, I find myself trapped somewhere between sitting and listening and going and doing.
And yet these words from Hebrews keep nagging at me...'Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.' My prayer is for more boldness, more confidence, more faith!
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The following quote was on the Edward Fudge GracEmail, today. Very timely considering...
"About the time we think we have God and life figured out," Jim Hughes says, "we find our human wisdom shattered by a new event, and we’re left to pick up the pieces and rebuild our understanding of God and our lives. It’s easy to say, 'God is good!' while we’re on the mountaintop. It’s harder to say when we’re in a dark valley." But life does have its dark valleys, Jim notes, "and that’s where spiritual growth occurs. And when we emerge from the valley, we have a wound from the struggle, and a new life." Jim shares some things learned in his own journey through his blog, "Difficult Seasons" (go to http://difficultseasons.com). And he continues to learn from others. "This blog is a way to bring others into the conversation," he says, "so that we can learn together."
Jim Hughes is not like the Dead Sea. Since retiring in 2002 from a 33-year career with Texaco, he has become a Volunteer Lay Chaplain at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and a Lifeline Chaplaincy trainer for individuals preparing for hospital ministry. He leads a weekly support group for caregivers, now in its third year, and a grief support group that meets periodically. Jim also serves as a Shepherding elder at First Colony Church of Christ in suburban Sugar Land, Texas.
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