01 May - Daily Tragedies

I’ve been wondering this week what to do with life’s daily tragedies. I’m talking about those events which, though not serious illness or death or ruin, none the less evoke such feelings of sorrow or grief that we cannot brush them away.  It’s the pain of moving away from a home you have filled with family and love and memory for half a lifetime.  It’s the pain of infertility or continuous miscarriage.  It’s the pain of no longer feeling your husband or wife is your partner in life.  It’s the pain of loneliness, disappointment and loss.  It’s these daily tragedies which make up most of the hard times we face – the big tragedies are, hopefully, few and far between, but the little ones are always around the corner.

I’ve been thinking about all this because I’ve been going through some of these daily tragedies recently and have realised that our society encourages us to keep them to ourselves.  It’s weird, we are a talk talk talk society – one which is seemingly obsessed with watching the lives of other people through reality tv and seeing every moment of our friends weekend on Facebook.  But think about the last daily tragedy you faced – the last time you felt real sadness, hurt, or grief about something, how ever small.  Who did you tell?  For so many of us the answer is no one.   “I’m fine, how are you?” is our New Zealand standard answer to the question of how we are.  How we are, indeed, seems to have little to do with it.

I don’t know why this is.  But I don’t think it is how it should be.  In 1 Peter, chapter 3, Peter tells us that as Christians we should;

“… be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.” (verse 8).

When we aren’t honest with each other – our friends, our family, our church – we rob each other of the opportunity to put into practice these words.  But honesty requires bravery.  And bravery risk.

So today I’m going to be brave.  I’m going to be open to a little risk.  I’m going to choose a friend who I trust to be honest with and I’m going to think carefully about how to answer their question of ‘how are you?’  Maybe today you might want to be honest and brave and open to a little risk to.  Today, maybe you could, with me, allow someone to fulfill the words of the old hymn –

“Brother, sister, let me serve you,

 let me be as Christ to you;

 pray that I may have the grace to

 let you be my servant too.

 We are pilgrims on a journey,

 and companions on the road;

 we are here to help each other

 walk the mile and bear the load.

 I will hold the Christ-light for you

 in the night-time of your fear;

 I will hold my hand out to you,

 speak the peace you long to hear.

 I will weep when you are weeping;

 when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;

 I will share your joy and sorrow

 till we’ve seen this journey through.”