I hope you won’t mind a more personal post today.
I have several friends who are going through tough times right now. Medical issues. Pain. Divorce. Death. And you probably have some friends who are going through the same. You may be going through a tough time yourself .
Hard times force me to face this reality: everything’s broken.
Our bodies break, our marriages break, our livelihoods break, our families break, our health breaks.
This is not pessimism: it is truth.
So what do we do with all the brokenness?
I don’t know. Honestly sometimes it feels like too much to bear.
And then I remember the wood of the altar in my church.
I have the honor of reading aloud from Scripture every so often at my church. When it’s my turn I wear special vestments and process with the choir, the acolytes, the other lay reader, the priest. And I sit up there and pray.
One recent Sunday I noticed the knots in the wood of the altar.
Wood knots are a reminder of death. They come (in most cases) from dead branches that the rest of the tree grows around. They don’t get absorbed into the tree; they stay there, forever. Carpenters have to be mindful of them because they can adversely affect the integrity of the wood.
The knots tell us everything is broken.
But they also enhance the visual effect of the wood. Carpenters sometimes search high and low for wood with just the right knots. I stared at them in prayer the other day because they were beautiful.
Those knots reminded me that, yes, everything is broken, but over time the brokenness can be worked into something larger that is compelling and admirable.
This is not something to point out right away with someone who is hurting. The thing to do in those cases is listen and be attentive and simply be there.
But sitting here, as I am, with all the death and brokenness, the wood knots comfort me with another truth.
Everything is being redeemed.
Listen to the knots.
22 responses to “How to Get Through Hard Times”
Deep sigh of relief. Redeeming words, Chad.
I’m so glad, Alysa.
Visiting from Cynthia’s blog. Encouraging post.
Thanks for stopping by! Come on back now, ya hear!
The Holy Spirit speak through you, Chad. Thanks!
Thanks, Russ. I sure hope so!
Good thoughts my friend! Good reminder and good encouragement
Thanks, Rob!
Nice piece, Chad. Good reminder.
Hey Rebecca! Great to see you here. And thank you. I wondered if it was a little cheesy. Your tolerance for cheese is lower than mine, I think, so your affirmation means a lot!
Redemption is the great promise of life. Beautifully written.
That means a lot me, Jenny. Thank you.
This is one for Our Daily Bread. Really good, thanks for sharing.
So welcome, Trevor. Thanks for taking the time to say something.
As usual, beautifully written and simple. Much like the altar (which I am a little biased in loving so much!)
Hey Jeanine! Thanks for commenting. Brandon’s work was effective!
Great stuff, Chad. A friend directed me to this post via Facebook, and it’s just what I need at this moment.
Grateful to read your comment here.
This is wonderful encouragement. I am always struck by the way brokenness has a way of drawing people together in a way that is redeeming. Just simply being there is enough. My husband is a pastor and we started young. But, that is one of the first things we learned, we might not have always know something eloquent or comforting to say, so no matter what we just showed up, and that was always enough.
Wise words, Lisa! I would add: Sometimes when we do MORE than just show up, it can be harmful.
Lovely post.
Thanks, Sally. You’ve always been so encouraging to me.