Editor’s note: The views expressed in Faith columns are those of the individual writer and not necessarily those of The Republic.
I attended the funeral of my 87-year-old uncle who died with Parkinson’s disease. He had been a preacher almost as long as he had been alive, and the church he started was the same church I grew up in for the first 20 years of my life.
I probably didn’t agree with every doctrine of that church, and I didn’t necessarily agree with every nuance of their theology. But man, my uncle loved people. The love of Christ radiated outward in his words and in his actions. He loved and cared for all of the people he knew and even people he didn’t know. He was one of the most loving people I have ever met.
The amazing truth is that love can cover a multitude of differing doctrines and theologies, because it is all ultimately about how much we love God, love others, and love ourselves.
That he did.
And it was a beautiful thing to hear all of the stories of how he loved.
Even when his health was deteriorating, even when he was in pain, even when his body continued to tremor from his disease, he loved God and everyone around him. He lived in the wholeness of Christ, he resided in the completeness of Christ. And in this harmonious relationship with Christ was the deep well of God’s goodness. It was his fullness and satisfaction, even while his body deteriorated and failed.
The goal of this life is not to be healed with enough faith. The goal is the journey of who we are becoming, in light of what we are suffering, in light of the pain we are experiencing, in light of what we are going through.
That is what I want in my life.
I want to experience and share a love that transcends my broken body, that reaches down deep into the well of God’s goodness despite my pain and suffering. For it is in that place where we discover beauty, despite the wreckage.
Each one of us should be able to share the pain we are experiencing without judgment, condemnation, or questions about our faith, or lack of faith, in God.
Each one of us should be able to be real about the stress, anxiety, and depression we are experiencing without being told that we simply need to read the Bible more or pray more, as if those things alone are the simple fixes to make everything go away.
And each one of us should be able to be honest about our mental illnesses without feeling like a “lesser Christian.”
God, we praise you for your goodness, but we also groan longingly, and hopefully, looking toward a future in which every tear will be wiped away, every heartache will be healed, and every burdened body will be lifted.
Even while these bodies exist in dysfunction, disability, debilitation, and disorder, we pray for your deep well of goodness to be our satisfaction.
For when we are prospering, let us be satisfied in your fullness. And when we are in need, let us be satisfied in your fullness.
For when we have plenty, let us be satisfied in your fullness. And when we are in want, let us be satisfied in your fullness.
For when we are well-fed, let us be satisfied in your fullness. And when we are hungry, let us be satisfied in your fullness.
For when our bodies are healthy and functional, let us be satisfied in your fullness. And when our bodies are unhealthy and broken, let us be satisfied in your fullness.
For when our minds are clear and balanced and thinking rightly, let us be satisfied in your fullness. And when our minds are cloudy and imbalanced and confused, let us be satisfied in your fullness.
Father, let us be patient, content, and joyful examples of what it looks like to bear the tension of our bodily pain and suffering, while becoming the wholeness, completeness, and harmony of your shalom.
Let us experience and share your love that transcends our broken bodies.
Work in and through our every weakness, our every physical, mental, and emotional dysfunction, our every pain and through our suffering to reveal that which is eternal and valuable.
Brandon Andress of Columbus is a former local church leader, a Christian book author, a current iTunes podcast speaker and a contributor to the online Outside the Walls blog. His latest book is “Beauty in the Wreckage: Finding Peace in the Age of Outrage.” He can be reached at his website, brandonandress.com.
