| Below the Waterline 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.. Romans 13:10-13,15 (NIV) |
| Not long ago, I had the pleasure of spending the day at a lovely California marina. The weather was spectacular, with bright sunshine and a mild breeze carrying the salty tang of the ocean into the conference buildings. During breaks between sessions, we were encouraged to roam the grounds and pause, as we felt moved, to engage in prayer. The serene setting and the perfect weather seemed to proclaim God’s nearness at every turn and prayers of praise and thanksgiving came easily to my heart. During one such break, I stood leaning on a railing, gazing at the picture-perfect marina below me. The luxurious sailboats were lined up in tidy rows, decks gleaming and sails neatly wrapped in bright canvas covers. The motor craft were equally well-appointed, and they were well-deserving of the term, “yacht�. But as I stood there feeling a little envious of the probably perfect people who owned these perfect boats which gently bobbed in the water on that perfect day, a random cloud briefly covered the sun. During the moments that the sun’s bright glare was dimmed, I got a glimpse below the waterline. This previously hidden view of what lay below the surface stood in stark contrast to the apparent perfection of what could be seen above the water. Debris littered the shallow bottom of the marina and without the sun sparkling off the water, the sheen of leaking oil could be seen oozing across the surface near some of the larger boats. Below the waterline, many of the boats were grimy and green with algae. A few of the boats’ undersides were as clean and impeccable as they were above the water, but those were greatly outnumbered by the boats whose hulls looked barely seaworthy. That quick glance at the hidden imperfections of what I had been thoughtlessly considering perfect brought me up short. For many of us, our daily reality is just like the marina: we work hard to present the world with a well-maintained topside view of our life and hope that the less appealing parts will go unnoticed. But this desire to shield our flawed lives from view can cause us unnecessary sorrow. Those who struggle privately with illness, personal trials, family difficulties, fractured relationships or other hurts know well what it is like to be judged solely on what can be seen above the “waterline� of life. When we stow our pain safely out of sight, others can unwittingly wound us with a casual comment or with a seemingly blithe lack of compassion. While it is understandable that those with personal struggles may have a fundamental need for privacy, it is one of the great blessings of Christian life that we can offer our sorrows not only to our Heavenly Father for solace and healing, but we can share them with our Christian family and be confident that we will be supported in prayer, encouraged in person, and treated with compassion. It is important, therefore, that those overwhelmed with worry or sadness, those in pain, or those with unseen burdens, share their below-the-waterline lives with their fellow Christians as candidly as they can manage. We cut ourselves off from loving support when we offer only glib accounts of ourselves and our difficulties. Openness is best accomplished in an environment of love and acceptance and the fostering of that atmosphere is the responsibility of the entire body of Christ. Those who wish to be a source of help and comfort may have to be more persistent and look a little deeper than they are accustomed to doing in order to get past the “topside� version of a troubled life. Yes, it is uncomfortable to know another’s sorrows and, yes, it can be daunting to be faced with another’s pain, but that discomfort is made insignificant in the face of the joy felt by those who reach out with love and compassion. Thus, the challenge for all of us is this: To be appropriately open about our lives with those who stand ready to wrap us in the loving arms of Christ as they offer their empathetic support, and to be prepared to reach out to others in that same fashion ourselves, undaunted by their revealed hurts. As we are told in Ecclesiastes 4:10 (NIV), “If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!� Great fulfillment and joy await those who comfort others out of Christian love and their desire to serve others in Jesus’ name. ©2008 Elizabeth Williams |