Tuesday morning I woke from a strange dream. In an attempt to distract myself I opened my
phone only to see news of the explosions in Brussels that morning. For the rest of the day I wrestled with the
fear and sadness that typically accompanies such news. However, there was something about it that
made it more unsettling to me then other recent events. Finally, I realized that the reason it was
all so unsettling to me was because of my personal experiences in Brussels.
Brussels is an emotional location for me. The first time I visited the wonderful city I
had a frightening choking incident that thanks to the Heimlich maneuver was
short lived. Several years later I was
unexpectedly flown into the airport to wait for a connecting flight after an
overseas trip went horribly wrong. I
spent hours curled up on the floor of the terminal convinced that I would never
recover. It was one of the worst days of
a years long dark night of the soul.
As I reflected on my own experiences and read through the
experiences of those in Brussels I realized how ill prepared I am for the
troubles of this world. I kept asking
myself how can I help people and what can I do?
The answer was not what I was expecting.
If you have ever flown you have heard the instructions to “secure
your own oxygen mask before helping
others.” There’s a reason for this. A lack of oxygen will cause you to pass out
and if you pass out you will not be in a position to help anyone. We need to be in a place physically,
emotionally, and spiritually where we are not going to “pass out” when we face
the troubles of this world. Many people
view passing out as a sign of a job well done.
I disagree. And I believe the
best model for this is Jesus. Both Luke
and Mark write about how Jesus would go out alone. He would engage and then retreat engage and
then retreat.
What would Jesus do when he retreated? He would pray. Prayer: powerful, transformative, and
mysterious. I have this new theory that
prayer is less about getting things done and more about bringing us into the
love of Jesus. In his book Ragamuffin Gospel Brennan Manning writes:
“…that we be men and
women of prayer…people for who God is everything and for whom God is
enough. That is the root of peace. We have that peace when the gracious God is
all we seek. When we start seeking
something besides Him, we lose it.”
When we come to a place of peace we can enter into a place
of being.
A place where we can love others securely.
A place where our identity is steadfast.
A place where we can serve honestly.
A place where we know to:
“Turn [our]
eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face”
and then
“…go to a
world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!”
