Mom once told me that she tried to raise me and my sister without worry or fear of whether we’d have enough food or clothing.. maintaining a certain level of childhood innocence.

Such an idea is lost on the past few generations — allowing their children to watch the full-on violence and sex in ‘R’ movies. Talk about taboo to my 9yr old mind!

But this is no posting about child psych.

Rather, somewhere along the way my concept of reality wasn’t sufficient. I realized wholly lacking in my perspective was any idea of battle or fighting. This is rapidly a problem in the ‘real world’; not all fighting is bad. Bingo. That’s the emasculating idea that many of us were raised under. All fighting is bad. There is no reason for battles. Lies. Insufficient Lies.

There is a battle raging around us. This is clear historical Christian teaching. Likewise, to not take sides in this battle is to be taken out. But our identity as soldiers is not concrete nor in solitude. Soldiers exist to protect all the art of life and civility that we all so deeply want. The soldiers life is one of the hardest; he is like a stone wall the external fire rages against, yet the other side of this wall, the children play, the baby feels fully secure.

Full knowledge of suffering

So this is life, and the reality lived in. Like it or not, it holds powers over you and I.. life, death, pain, joy. We are all a ruddy bunch of addicts, the most of us. All trying to posture and pose to maximize the joy and life or minimize the death of pain.

Call me crazy, but that sounds shallow. Why would we admire those who come out on top of suffering? Why do so many storylines have trouble in them? There’s a growing majority of the masses which seem happy being addicted & shallow — filling the gap between the happiness reality can provide and the happiness they expect.

It’s just that: what baseline of pleasure and pain do you or I expect to take on in any given week ..day? How far do we expect people to screw us over? Not to live in paranoia or fear, but to be taken in surprise at the pain of this life doesn’t seem so great an idea either.

4.12: do not be astonished that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as though something strange were happening to you

This is not prosperity! This is life, and it hurts. The term suffering contains more than direct persecution — beatings, jailings, and the self-focused question of “would i be able to endure?” Fact is, we are left in this world, under the reign of the enemy’s darkness, and under the pressure of divine teaching. Reality: suffering. And it’s this painful reality of ours that isn’t left alone. Jesus (God).. suffered. What ought I expect? And what posture ought I have towards all the marketing of modern idealism? There used to be a great term for this: plastic. Used for any and all things cheap and fake. Good term. I can’t find a reference for this usage, but I think it was part of the 60’s hippie reaction.

Deep

So many think they’re being ‘deep’.. or bitter-cynical-self-justifying-liberal when they ask, “Why all the pain in this world?” Or more directed at the personal: “Why doesn’t God stop all this pain?” I’m not so convinced this question (even if it were unanswerable) to be worthy to self-justify. Or satisfy.

I can’t say I’m a mystic about much, but I must admit there’s something deeply reasonable and satisfying to hold that reality now is full of suffering, that it’s for all of our best (if not for sorting us all out!).. There’s something amazing about these verses:

what will be the fate of those who are disobedient to the gospel of God?¹⁸And if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of the ungodly and sinners?¹⁹So then let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator as they do good.

Pain is planned.. woven in the fabric of the lives we’ve got. Pain is worthy of trust.. not in itself, but worthy of bringing out trust in us.

Love is so sweet because of suffering..
Suffering is made bearable only with love.