A Hurting Hole (01/30/2024)

Yesterday, I finally went to the dentist to address what I figured was a problematic tooth. Turns out, it was cracked all the way through to the roots. So, while I left home with the idea of getting my tooth fixed, I returned with a hole in my mouth and a whole lot of hurt. I learned that I don’t know the first thing about dentistry, that problems should be addressed as soon as they arise, and that what’s missing can hurt. I’d say it was a fruitful day.

It should be no surprise that the LORD and I pondered this at length last night before bed. My intensive immersion in Humility 401 that day reminded me that I can’t do everything by myself. I need to turn to others for help and let others use their expertise. I promised that I would seek help more quickly in the future, especially if it involved a tooth.

Then we turned to addressing problems as they arrive. That one took a bit longer to ponder. I focused first on my own dilemma of procrastination. If there were awards for it, I’m sure I’d have wall of trophies. I tend to work better with a deadline; but not every issue or problem has such an incentive. I asked the LORD for help (again) with putting off things that I should address with more urgency. But then the LORD and I moved on and out to the wider world. And I realized it is a human problem; I am not the only one who suffers from this. As I prayerfully pondered, my mind was filled with images of city streets full of homeless, with migrants on buses, with victims of crime filling our cities, with nations immersed in brutal warfare with casualties mounting daily. Humanity needs to address our problems as they arise.

I prayed about finding solutions to these human issues that abound in our modern world. I thought of Mother Teresa and her community who went out daily to address those real needs believing that in ministering to another one is ministering to Christ. She had it on good authority that this was so…Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 that “whatever you do to the least of these, you did unto me.” How would the world be different if we all embraced and lived that reality? What would change if we disciples saw Christ on that city sidewalk, homeless and hungry? Would the first change be in us?

At times we can pacify our guilt by telling ourselves it’s the choice of the individual or that it’s not our problem. But I recall one of the first quotes I learned as a child. It wasn’t from scripture. It was from Boy’s Town – “He’s not heavy; he’s my brother.” Is it time to “retract” our image of the world as being too big to be personal? Is it time to begin again to see everyone as sisters and brothers in Christ?

There are “solutions” for all our societal and global issues. They begin with prayer. They begin with love. They begin in accepting our common origin – the all-loving LORD – and with love addressing the needs we see. Is it time we started insisting upon this in our leaders? Is it time we started insisting upon this for ourselves?

Lastly, the LORD and I pondered the pain of something missing. “Nothing” can hurt when it represents something needed or someone loved. There is a great deal of want in our world. Last night I accepted the pain of “nothing” and held in as a reminder of the pain in our world suffered by so many of our sisters and brothers. Their pain matters.

As we continue on our journeys of faith, let us be buoyed by the hope of Christ and the knowledge that we are the living Body of Christ in the world. We are not alone, and we do not act alone. Perhaps if we start not just saying it but believing it we may be able to tackle the issues of the world, our world, that affect the whole Body. Perhaps if we spend time in prayer over these issues, the LORD may show us the way to wholeness and peace.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.