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July 2009

Sir, what did God teach you?

“Instead of feeling that we are opposed to God, we can feel that our indignation is God’s anger at unfairness working through us, that when we cry out, we are still on God’s side, and He is on ours” (Harold S. Kushner, When bad things happen to good people )

“What did God teach you when you were there?”

What an honorable question in the mouth of someone who cares and is eager to remind us all that every step we make is guided for a noble cause, for our well-being, for our peace of mind. Any situation we find ourselves in moves us toward an end-goal that will fashion us into devoted vassals of our Suzerain King. And, the more experience, the better! So, why waste time trying to understand the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of any given situation when: surely God is teaching us something here? Why dissipate precious strength lamenting and complaining when things don’t go well, if we know that beyond the dark clouds, the sun of righteousness will shine for you and me?

“What did God teach you when you were there? What have you learned from your experience in that place?”

You know, it is of no avail, even to have a pinch of bitterness because, ‘surely the Lord is about teaching his child a valuable lesson for his own good. There is no ‘…ehm…but…if…OK!’ or even – God forbid - ‘…why?’ All is set-to-go for your precious growth, to move you step by step in the right direction, to finally let your spirit soar. Even admitting that the clouds are really dark and on the horizon despair looms, the master touch of the Artist is more than able to transform the leaden sky. Don’t we realize that the gentle rain is instead being showered to refresh our head? It is a divine blessing meant to encourage and teach us a simple, but powerful equation: the more difficult the trial, the better. Faith thrives in the impossibility. There is no need to understand…when the clouds advance, be thankful because faith is about to be increased - this is implied in the initial previous question.

Well said by Anselm the Benedictine monk ages ago, “I believe in order to understand”. Don’t try to understand, only believe and it will go well with you!

“What did God teach you when you were there? What have you learned from your experience in that place? Surely there are blessings to count, Sir!”

Who would miss such an opportunity to learn? “Plants are shaped by cultivation, and men by education”, said Jean-Jack Rousseau, when he wrote Emile. If man is left to himself he will only degenerate and remain a civil savage, seeking for self-preservation. Calvin too – the French Theologian - reminded us of a nobler education in his ‘Institutes’, ‘the knowledge of God’! The blessed knowledge comes to our aid and straightens our bent neck as mere brute beasts so we can stand as royal beings, made in the image of the Creator. When the ‘education’ of the Most High is offered, we better make sure that we are in a ‘wishing-to-be-taught’ mode. He is the Maximum Pedagogue, the Principal, and the professor. His agents are the different ‘paths’ the school of life offers, so that we can graduate cum laude.

“What did God teach you when you were there? What have you learned from your experience in that place? C’mon count your blessings Sir. Relax, God is interested in you”

The young Elihu finally took the word and vented out, as he sought to direct the venerable Job toward the right and only valuable understanding. “…the breath of the Almighty brings understanding” (Job 32:8) when men are warned with terrible omens and when God himself punishes with pain the mortals in their beds with continual strife. So, “…what did God teach you when you were there?” Elihu, would have promptly answered, “God does all these things. Twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the Pit” (Job 33:29). Lucky Job, to have such an acquaintance as Elihu! The young man will actually impart wisdom to Job in his hopelessness and darkness, but at the same time ‘blessed’ spot to be in.

“Sir, it is only a matter of correct perception, putting all the coordinates in their proper order. Do not think too rationally – that would paint disaster - but let your reason be enlightened with unreachable understanding”.

Oh, blessed enlightened understanding…when the spirit reaches toward the light, moving our miserable soul from crime and punishment to innocence, forgiveness and righteous standing.

“What did God teach you when you were there?”

This was one of the questions posed to him that evening, as he recounted the painful remembrance of three years spent in labor camps, during the Nazi occupation, when he was fourteen years old. Now 84, he had gathered all his strength and reminisced, almost as a detached spectator, the horror of that time: the forced marches, the privations of food and clothing, the dear ones maltreated and eliminated, the feeble rays of light early in the mornings filtering through the mist. Many were there of all the ages, not having the perception of the time passing by. He was very careful in selecting his words, trying not to be too graphic to those who were sensitive, and yet searching to inform those present of the incredibility of what had happened in his life.

“What did God teach you when you were there?”

“Dear one: What is God teaching you right now through my words?” should have been the reply of the 84 year old Holocaust survivor. But he was too polite and educated to reply.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?