By Duane Paetznick (2018)
Pastor, Care
Recently, I was talking with someone who has experienced deep pain in her life. In the face of her hardship and pain, she questioned whether there was a God. For my friend, God is hidden.
I know that it is difficult to be faithful in the face of the great difficulties life seems to throw our way. I understand where my friend is coming from, because I too wish that these bad things in life didn’t happen. I too get mad at God for creating a world where there is so much illness, senseless infliction of hurt, terrible disease, and death.
Yet, at least for me, despite my doubts and anger, I still hang on to my faith that God is with us when we are facing that hurt and pain. I believe that God aches when we ache, and God is full of sorrow when we grieve. And somehow, that gives me hope.
Maybe it gives me hope because it seems that often in the face of these trials, God is somehow revealed. In the midst of the hardship of life, when God seems hidden, we find God is often revealed in the ministries of care that people show.
At Shepherd of the Valley, I see Jesus revealed through us when:
- People pray for those on our prayer chain
- Someone calls on the phone
- Someone knits a prayer shawl
- People send cards, texts, or emails
- A friendly visitor makes a visit
- A Pastor connects on behalf of the congregation
- Prayers are expressed during worship
- People gather in support of each other
- Someone offers a meal or cookies
During this season of Epiphany, our hope is that Jesus is revealed to the world. But for those who care in the name of Jesus, this is more than mere hope, because we actually are involved in the revealing of Our Lord to the world.
To see opportunities and sign up to be a caregiver at Shepherd of the Valley, visit sotv.org/serve. Our support groups cover many concerns, view the groups at sotv.org/groups.
