I
was faithful even when I said, “I suffered terribly;”
I
said in my panic, “All people are unreliable!”
(Psalms
116:10-11)
Tziporah:
I
am struck by the unflinching honesty of the Psalmist, who readily
admits to human frailty in suffering. Often, when we are distracted by
pain, we allow its attendant anger to overtake us, and we blurt out
terrible things about each other which we later regret. We seek relief
in blaming someone else for our situation. Sometimes we accuse each
other; other times we denounce God. This verse begins with a
declaration of faith—I believed in God despite my suffering—and
concludes with an admission of loss of faith. The Psalmist reflects on a
previous experience of suffering, when pain caused him to lose faith in
humanity. Yet he maintained an unshakable faith in God. I find solace
in repeating this verse as a mantra; I feel my pain begin to dissipate.
I am confident that when I look back on this difficult time, my faith
in God and others will have endured.
This reflection was originally posted in September 2011. Rereading it nearly 2 years later, I find that my faith in God and others has endured and that the words of the Psalmist still speak to me, Tziporah
This reflection was originally posted in September 2011. Rereading it nearly 2 years later, I find that my faith in God and others has endured and that the words of the Psalmist still speak to me, Tziporah
No comments:
Post a Comment