Today's Scripture Reading (January 7, 2024): Mark 8
Job
is really a story of dysfunction. And I am convinced that is one of the reasons
why the story of Job hits home. We understand dysfunction. I was in a classroom
environment a while back, and the subject of dysfunctional pastors, or more
precisely, pastors from dysfunctional backgrounds, came up. And the thought was
that 90% of all pastors come from dysfunctional environments. I admit I was the
one who pushed back and said that statistic doesn't sound right. And then, the
discussion turned to the things that have hurt us and caused us significant
pain, and every one of us not only has experienced considerable pain but that
pain causes us to react in an unhealthy manner. It is pain that keeps resurfacing
in our lives, which is essentially the definition of dysfunction. We are all
dysfunctional, well, maybe except for a couple of you, and you are in denial,
which is a whole different discussion.
Many
years ago, I had a dream. I dream a lot, and absolutely none of my dreams are
normal; they are all weird. But this dream was about a church where I once
pastored. And it was the week after I had left my position. For some reason, I
was still at the church. So, I came into the church, and someone else had my
office, and the church was different. In my dream, I was working hard on
getting a small choir together. The choir was for the coming Sunday in this
church. On the day of their performance, I brought my small ensemble out to
sing, but there was already a massive choir on the platform. My choir wasn't
needed, but beyond that, it wasn't good enough. I tried encouraging my small ensemble
to join the massive choir, but we weren't wanted.
On
this Sunday, there was a baptism planned. The whole basement had been enlarged,
and a vast swimming pool occupied a major portion of the basement where the
baptisms would occur. A group of Pastors were gathering and practicing for the
baptism in this swimming pool, and once again, I wasn't needed.
As
I was coming up the stairs, I saw another pastor. Now, I have no idea why he
was in my dream. He wasn't a friend or even a pastor that I knew well. But he
recognized me on the stairs, half smiled or smirked at me, and then he turned
away and walked in the other direction.
And
then I woke up. As I lay in bed with this depressed, sinking feeling in my
chest, my response was, "God, what is this all about? I thought I had
dealt with all that stuff." But the dream was just evidence of my
dysfunction and pain. Maybe it was a reminder of the dysfunction in my life that
threatens to intrude on all the decisions I might make even years later.
Peter
was dysfunctional. He had experienced pain in his life. And so, he had this
idea of how Jesus would minister to his pain, and that didn't include Jesus
dying. And Peter reacted out of his dysfunction, "No, Jesus, you can't do
that. Jesus, you can't die."
And
Jesus turned to Peter, and he understood his dysfunction. Sometimes, I wonder
if we get that. Jesus sees my dysfunction and understands it. He doesn't
understand it just superficially; he gets it deep in the core of his being. It
would be in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus would pray, "My
Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will,
but as you will" (Matthew 26:39). Dad if there is any other way, if I
don't have to die, can we do this differently? But, in the end, I will follow
you.
Life is dysfunctional, but your
dysfunction is not beyond God. He understands it and still chooses you to
follow him.
Tomorrow's Scripture
Reading: Matthew 17
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