Dear Rose Park,
Some of you were witnesses, some of you heard it, others saw the aftermath. Immediately following worship this past Sunday morning, Simon was running when he tripped and hit his head against the brick wall of our sanctuary. The only thing that was faster than his tears was the swelling. Simon had a pretty good goose-egg on his head all day Sunday, but even after the swelling came down we still talk about our ‘owie.’
You might call them a boo-boo or an ouchie, but Simon calls them an owie. After this past Sunday’s owie, Simon suddenly has owies everywhere. He has an owie on his leg, his eyebrow, his hand, and his back. According to Simon, they all require immediate medical attention and a Paw Patrol band-aid. After performing ‘surgery’ on his hand, Sam and I said, “it just hasn’t been your week buddy, you have a million owies.” As soon as the words came out of our mouths, they went into his and now Simon reminds us he has a “million owies.”
But I’m willing to bet, having millions of owies and a rough week isn’t limited to just two-year-olds. We all have those kinds of days or weeks. Maybe it’s the relationship that continues to struggle. Maybe it’s the work environment that causes so much stress it infects other areas of life. Maybe it’s the spiritual battle that you can’t seem to gain any ground. Maybe it’s the ongoing and painful process of caring for an aging parent or spouse. Maybe it’s __________.
And when another struggle occurs… and then another… and another it can be so tempting to isolate ourselves and believe we are alone. We put a band-aid on it and hope it goes away all by itself. We’d be better served if we sought real treatment. Author and theologian C.S Lewis tells a story about how growing up as a young boy he wouldn’t dare tell his mother about a toothache because he knew that she’d bring him to the dentist, even though he knew the dentist is what he needed.
I wonder, if instead of seeking the treatment and care from God, we try to fix our million owies with a million band-aids. If that’s the case, then I hope and pray the Spirit can come alongside us to remind us of the presence of God and the Church in the midst of our struggles. I hope and pray that God can use the Church to bring about reconciliation and redemption to this lost and hurting world. And I hope and pray that God can straighten whatever is crooked, heal whatever is hurting, and fix whatever is broken in our lives for the glory of His Kingdom.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark