A Journey through Romans 12 – Being Held
“Be patient in suffering” Romans 12:12b
No one likes suffering of any type. Given the choice, we seek to avoid it. Yet, the journey of lent is a journey of, in, and toward suffering. Somehow, partaking in suffering is what makes Christ fully human. I think sometimes it is what makes us more in tune with the Divine.
So what does it mean to be patient in suffering? The thing that comes to mind is to let myself be held – held by the love and care of friends, held by the prayers of brothers and sisters in Christ, held by the care of strangers, held by the arms of a loved one. When we allow others to minister to us in our times of suffering, we are practicing the openness of Christ. When we allow others to minister to us, we face our own frailty and take our place with the broken, oppressed, and hurting. In the best of circumstances, this nurturing love enfolds our broken, hurting heart, holding it for us until the darkness fades and the pain eases.
Yet, I think there are times when the holding comes from the inside. I think of the homeless woman on the street who is fighting to keep her children. I think of the prisoner in jail lying alone in their bunk in the middle of the night. I think of the patient in the hospital who has no family visiting. I think of those who look out at a world that sends them a message of hate and hopelessness.
In these circumstances, the holding comes from deep within. It is a tenuous holding that whispers “You are a beloved child of God”. It is a fragile holding that gently reminds, “you are suffering, but you not alone”. It is a desperate holding that in the deepest moments of despair listens to your cry of “Abba Father, why have you forsaken me?”
This holding can’t be proven. But it can be experienced. And the testimony of the faithful declares that even on the darkest Fridays of our lives, we are held.
Prayer: Gracious God, help us to reach out and hold those who are suffering. May we allow ourselves to be held by others when the sufferings of life visit us. And may we always sense, no matter the fact or feeling of our aloneness, that we are your beloved children held by you. In the name of the One who suffered for Love, Jesus, the Christ. Amen.
Praying in Color 
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