Stranded in Skin & Bones
I don’t know about you, but I struggle with death, pain, injustice and the randomness of it all. Bad people get away with murder while good people die of cancer. In my narrow view of the universe, this seems totally unfair.
A few years ago my narrow view of the world was causing me to really struggle with my faith. I was in a convalescent home, visiting one of the most heroic, caring and compassionate humans who has ever lived. Her name was Rose and at the age of 95, she had had a stroke, broke her hip, and was in failing health. It was hard for me to see her lying there in pain, fighting for life.
She had driven her car until the age of 92. She was always filled with energy and joy. She cared about everyone. She prayed for everyone. She was a bright light in a dark world. She had a permanent smile on her face which glowed brighter every year she grew older.
She was the eternal optimist, not because she was in denial of bad things, but because she believed God was always at work, always forgiving, redeeming, patiently loving people towards him. There was not a judgmental bone in her body. She mentored young moms, prayed for warring nations and cared deeply for the poor.
We called her our own Mother Teresa. In fact the older and wiser she grew, the more she looked like Mother Teresa. But it was those blue eyes with a genuine smile which penetrated the hardest hearts and opened up the possibility of discovering God’s healing and salvation.
Mother Rose is a gift from God which only comes around once a century. So here is this grace-filled 95 year old woman, struggling for life in a convalescent bed, and I’m struggling. “God, this isn’t fair! She has been so faithful. She shouldn’t have to die like this! Where is the dignity in this God? She deserves better!”
As I stood around the bed with her family, I struggled silently with these emotions. I was losing perspective of eternity. I was losing sight of life and death and renewal and the spiritual and natural principles of how this universe works. I just didn’t want her to be in any pain. Not Rose. Yes, maybe some selfish, greedy, bastard who used people and cursed at God could die like this, but not Rose!
The next morning, I was driving, thinking about Rose and I was listening to a song by the band U2 called “Yahweh”. In the song there is this simple yet very poignant phrase which says, “Take this soul stranded in some skin and bones, take this soul and make it sing… Yahweh, Yahweh, always pain before a child is born.”
Tears began to run down my face and began to smile involuntarily. My temporary view of life was being gently refocused to the eternal. I was missing the beauty of the transition.
We are all stranded in skin and bones and because of this, our souls are severely handicapped. Our souls are so much bigger and brighter than our bodies. And here was Rose, a soul filled with love, tenderness, light and hope and yet she was trapped in skin and bones which were failing her.
Yet, her soul was not fading! It was becoming brighter and it was getting closer and closer to being set free to live forever without the pain and restrictions of these earthy tents. All of a sudden, I began to get excited. Rose’s soul was about ready to be set free. No more pain or frustration. It was about ready to SING!
And then the second part of the phrase of the song, “Always pain before a child is born”, came screaming at me. Just like the pain of childbirth is forgotten when the joy and gift of the child is born, so will Rose’s pain be forgotten when she is birthed into new life.
The light went on! On this side of eternity we are all involved in childbirth. That’s why life can be so painful. Disease, sickness, abuse, injustice, prejudice, disappointment, it fills our life with pain. It’s called birthing pains. But those birthing pains (life) lead us to the other side of eternity where as the apostle John says “There will be no more tears, no more pain, no more war, no more injustice, no more sickness, no more disease.”
There is always pain before a child is born.
This is why people who have done world-changing things, always knew for something great to be born, there would be pain.
Martin Luther bore the rejection and perjury of religion so the understanding of grace could be born.
Abraham Lincoln bore the pain of rejection, anger and ultimately death so freedom could be born.
Martin Luther King Jr. bore the pain of prejudice, hatred and ultimately death so the beginning of equality could be born.
Nelson Mandela bore the pain of 30 years of imprisonment so the end of apartheid could be born.
Jesus bore the pain of an excruciating death on a cross so redemption and eternal life could be born.
There is always pain before a child is born.
There is always pain before something great is born.
Our souls are trapped, temporarily, in skin and bones. But one day, our souls will be set free!
Life is really difficult living with a temporary view.
Life begins to make more sense living with an eternal view.
God bless you Mother Rose. You kept your eyes on Jesus.
And today, your soul soars! May we follow your example.