Local snowdrops bring cheer on wintry days An instrument of torture used to kill Jesus, the cross seems central to the Christian faith. Is there a way to see it that is uplifting rather than depressing? Can we apply it to our own trying times? I’ve been inspired by reading The Book of Joy with the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and writer Douglas Abrams. They share how extreme difficulties can be transformed with perspective.
The Dalai Lama would never have asked to be exiled from Tibet. But while he lost his country, he gained "wider contact and new relationships, less formality and more freedom to discover the world and learn from others." When monasteries and libraries were destroyed, the Indian government and even Christian organizations rallied to help keep Tibetan traditions alive. The Dalai Lama would not likely have had the same worldwide influence he has today had he remained in Tibet. Desmond Tutu shared that it helps to recognize "how incredibly noble people are. You know human beings are basically good." He often saw evidence of this goodness when chairing South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. One family whose daughter had been brutally killed supported granting amnesty to the men who were responsible. The parents even started an organization to help people in need in the township where their daughter was murdered, and employed the men who had killed their daughter. They transformed their daughter's death into an opportunity to share love in an unexpected way. Jesus knew that the political unrest that he was facing put him at risk of death. He prayed three times not to have to go through the suffering ahead, but accepted God’s will over his own. He endured torture and humiliating conditions, but also modelled incredible love and forgiveness, when he extended it to his guards: “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” My father had a powerful experience using that same prayer. After he was captured as a prisoner of war, he and his friend were taken out of a group of prisoners and marched into a field. One of the guards behind them had a machine gun, and the scenario was eerily familiar. "I was not afraid to die, because I believed in Jesus Christ as my Lord, and was at peace with God," he told me. "Of course, I didn't want to die, but I was more concerned for the souls of those poor men who wanted to execute us, how they would have to stand before God with this on their heads. I prayed: 'Lord, you know that we are innocent. And both of us are your children. They do not know what they are doing. Forgive them!' “At that moment, we heard the brakes of a jeep and shouting behind us. Two American officers in the jeep stopped the execution. We couldn’t understand a word they were saying, but they were bauling these two guys out, and ordered them to take us back.” My father was amazed at the power of God to intervene and arrange ahead of time for those men to show up in time to stop the execution. "With God, we can have peace that passes understanding, no matter what the circumstances." We never want our loved ones to endure hard times, like being captured, threatened, or tortured. If there’s anything that we can do to prevent such crimes and horrors, it’s good to try. But when we have no choice, and are stuck in what feels like the valley of the shadow of death, it’s comforting to know that God is with us. God will sometimes take us right out of the horror chamber, and other times, show up with us there in a wonderful way. And there's another benefit: it's often in difficult times that we really learn and develop character. The Dalai Lama says, "There is a Tibetan saying that wisdom is like rainwater -- both gather in the low places." The Dalai Lama mentioned a senior Tibetan monk, Lopon-La, who was imprisoned and tortured for eighteen years. Only twenty individuals survived that camp. "He told me that during those eighteen years he faced some real dangers. I thought, of course, he was talking about dangers to his life. / He told me he was in danger of losing ... his compassion for his Chinese guards." Perhaps because he maintained that compassion, Lopon-La was able to survive and thrive many years later. The Dalai Lama added that a number of Tibetans reported that the time spent in Chinese gulags was "their best period for spiritual practice, for developing patience and compassion." And so an instrument of torture is transformed. Looking beyond the presence of cruelty, we can see forgiveness and growth and love. Similarly, the cross no longer needs to be heavy with pain and fear and guilt. If we look beyond the wood and nails and scornful faces of the guards, we can see forgiveness and love reflected back in the face of Jesus. In perhaps the ugliest place where we least expected it, we find the most beautiful expression of love. And that gives a great deal of hope. And that's without even considering that after the cross, there was also resurrection. Death wasn't the final word. It never is. - Irene Plett References: The Dalai Lama Trust, Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams, The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World (2016: Penguin, ISBN 9780670070169), pages 120, 150, 156, 195 and 212. Bible references: Matthew 26:36-46 (Jesus prays three times); Luke 23:34 ("forgive them, for they know not what they do"); Psalm 23:4 (valley of shadow of death). Topics: Christianity, faith, hope, love, forgiveness, wisdom, spirituality, compassion, resurrection, the cross, The Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Tibet, South Africa, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Peter Plett, imprisonment, gulags, torture
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
WriterIrene Plett is a writer, poet and animal lover living in South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Categories
All
|