We Are One Body

I've been thinking a lot lately about where we find God in the midst of pain. I am surrounded by people experiencing deep pain. The pain of the loss of a loved one; the loss of their own health or that of a loved one.  

Over and over again, I am reminded of the scripture in the Bible that refers to the community of people as members of the same body. It goes on to say that if one member suffers, we all suffer and if one member is honored, we all rejoice. There is a call to action in that scripture. One can not read it and pretend that we exist as isolated islands.

While I know that we all have our own pain to endure, I also know that we do not have to endure that pain alone.

Where is God in the midst of pain? God is in you and in me.

We are living breathing testaments of the Divine on earth. Our actions or lack thereof are of piveting value to so many, determining engagement with love or fear. If a child sees another fall and scrape their knee, they rush over and ask "Are you ok?" They do not turn away.

When we affirm our love and offer a helping hand that which is unbearable becomes manageable. We can not take each others pain away but we can become part of the strength given to "drink the cup" they have been portioned with. It's not our place to understand the whys of pain nor the big picture. What we are required to do is step into our communal responsability to each other by holding space for each other and standing in the gap until that person can do it for themselves. We model a gentle yet loud courage for one another and invite others to step into courage with us when we sustain their pain with love.

Today, step out of your comfort zone and ask someone that you know is going through it, "Are you ok?" You'd be surprise how such a simple question can open the floodgates... to hope.

We are one body.