Categories: uncategorized
Date: 26 September 2005 12:34:32
A good morning at church yesterday, but it made me think. We had an especially long 'worship time' (like the whole of church shouldn't be worship time, durr) and the girl next to me was just sitting there and sobbing. She's a friend, and has just started a tough new 'outreach style' job. Obviously I put my arm round her, asked her what was wrong, prayed etc... and she told me that the reason she was upset was that she was thinking about the things she had seen that week.
And she said she couldn't believe these things happen in London, especially to children - in fact she finds it hard to believe that they happen anywhere in the world. And while we were praying I thought that it is right to weep over these things, it's right to be angry. Jesus is. He was furious on earth when he saw children or the weak being mistreated, and he still is now.
I have lost my outrage. When I come across sad situations I plod alongside them and try and make the best of them. But I don't cry, I don't get angry... I only think "Ok, that's how it is, what can I do to make it better?". It's very pragmatic, but I guess it isn't always the response God wants.
At a party the other week, I came across a girl who was outraged by a situation in a way that I thought was inappropriate. I was annoyed with her, because I thought there was no point in getting angry about it, you just have to "make the best of things as they are". Thinking about it after this morning, I still think that her outrage was directed at the wrong target but I am making more effort to understand it, and to rekindle mine. Some thing deserve it.
Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. He still does. Sometimes I need to do a bit more of that.