My daughter made an interesting statement that we may want to “fix” people in the body of Christ because then we don’t have to care for them. And I think she may be right. I just searched at christianbook.com and found more than 2000 books in the category for “Christian Living” for women. These books wouldn’t be written if the authors didn’t think they had the solution to our problems, and we wouldn’t buy them if we didn’t think they would help us. So just read a book, go to an outside expert, who in reality is a stranger, and voila! problem solved.

I think most Christians would reject outright the prosperity gospel that promises health and wealth. But I wonder if we buy into a more subtle version, which promises emotional and relational health. For the most part, we understand the physical needs of fellow believers. We pray when someone is sick. We take a meal. We do something. But what about the immaterial- the mental and emotional issues in our lives? This is much harder to understand because it is inside of us, hidden from sight. But if it is inside, does that mean we have more control over it and thus greater ability to “get over it?”

My daughter made an interesting statement that we may want to “fix” people in the body of Christ because then we don’t have to care for them. And I think she may be right. I just searched at christianbook.com and found more than 2000 books in the category for “Christian Living” for women. These books wouldn’t be written if the authors didn’t think they had the solution to our problems, and we wouldn’t buy them if we didn’t think they would help us. So just read a book, go to an outside expert, who in reality is a stranger, and voila! problem solved. But I don’t think it is as simple as that. There is no quick fix.

In Suffering and the Heart of God, Dr. Diane Langberg states that trauma may be the greatest mission field of the church today. If I think about domestic abuse, child abuse, human trafficking, the refugee crisis, combat trauma, disease, death, and beyond, I agree with her. This is especially true if I take the cultural blinders off my eyes, which delude me into thinking the rest of the world is like the 21st century affluent West. But I don’t think I need to look beyond the walls of my church to find people who are suffering inside even though the outside looks fine. Given we are to bear one another’s burdens and strengthen the limbs that are weak, charity begins at home within the family and within the larger family of faith.

Suffering and the Heart of God is not an easy book to read and certainly not a “read this and you will know how to properly care for the hurting in 10 easy steps.” It is more of an eyeopener on how much I don’t know, how much more I need to care, and how much I need to be like Christ.

They will bring tears, sometimes wrenching sobs. We tend to respond by simply handing out tissues, often a subtle hint that the crying should be over by now. We prefer human beings with clean faces. We feel awkward with sobs that are loud. We are uneasy in the face of unadulterated terror or pain. When an alarm goes off, we want it stopped. The noise bothers us; it disrupts our world. When an alarm goes off, fleeing is a normal response. Alarms mean things are not okay. How can we have staying power in alarm moments like these? …

It is crucial that we understand something of what we encounter if we are to minister to a person who is suffering. I fear we often think that helping people in crisis is simply about telling them good and true things so they will listen and get better. I am afraid it is rarely as simple as that….

So if simply speaking the truth is not sufficient alone, how can we respond to those who are suffering so that they are helped and ultimately transformed? We can learn from our Lord. He stepped into the alarm moments of our lives. He entered the chaos and noise. He encountered the suffering and sin of this world and had staying power. He has called us to be like him.

Suffering and the Heart of God: How Trauma Destroys and Christ Restores,Diane Langberg, New Growth Press, 2015, pp. 108-109, 111.

I strongly recommend Dr. Langberg’s recent lectures at Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando. They are available at iTunes for free.

Persis Lorenti is an ordinary Christian. You can find her at Tried With Fire and Out of the Ordinary. This article appeared at her blog and is used with permission.

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