Rejoice In Them All

 “Seems to me, other than all things eternal, the only promised things in scripture are suffering and presence.” Our dogs were gentle and patient to no end. When they got in a fight though…You could lose an arm or a leg trying to break it up. Bruno, the younger Samoyed would step out of the round gladly but Sam was in it for dominance and blood. There was no letting go. This quote from E. Brown has had its’ teeth in me the same way.

Is it that black and white? My initial visceral reaction was to dismiss it as too simplistic. What about joy? What about peace? No, they don’t occur in a vacuum. They are a result of presence. This concept of presence persisted. His presence means we have immediate access to the ear of God; for worship and for lament. “A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth.”

“In this world you will have trouble and suffering.” Jesus guarantees it. That quote comes at the end of a stream of scripture assuring deep-in-the-soul peace to His followers. That peace comes in the person of the Holy Spirit as a result of Christ’s overcoming the world.

So what’s niggling at me? Is it the Hound of Heaven (a nickname for the Holy Spirit) stirring me? Here it is. What about love? Or that perfect wine and cheese pairing you had last weekend? The music group that brought you to tears yesterday; what about that?

My answer has to do with the Ecclesiastes and Chestertonian mindset I’ve been soaking in this last year. “We want a fiercer delight and a fiercer discontent. We have to feel the universe at once an ogre’s castle, to be stormed, and yet as our own cottage, to which we can return at evening…. We should not be affected by the fact that there are more dragons than princesses.” Delight in the fruit of your labor, worship God the creator, enjoy the friends of your youth. Even in seasons of deep suffering these may lighten the load. “Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many.”

        Photo by Kateryna Hliznitsova on Unsplash