"...a gesture of hope."

Every group has problems because we're all made up of human beings. But, when the problems are within a church then it seems to be worse. So many Christians believe that life should be continually joy-filled and when trials come, either they're viewed as tests or sometimes as "what the heck did I do to deserve this??" I'm thinking -simplistically- that life is just that way sometimes. Sometimes, life stinks and bad stuff happens. (I said it was simplistic - I grow weary of theological-speak.)

How a church reacts to the problems either within as a congregation or with individuals is the true test. David had someone ask him last week what the hardest thing in church to happen over the past year was. He immediately related a single instance that personally hurt not only the body of New Hope but at least 5 individual families, too. It came out of the blue with no one having an idea to brace against it emotionally. It affects many to this day because of the tremendous hurt. The church grieved. Sure, words of "there is no one to blame" were given, but that didn't lessen the pain.

I can say this. Whenever hardships come to a small church it can easily turn into a do-or-die situation. We've always been known as a community to talk out our problems. Granted it's incredibly hard if not impossible to talk out the mean people (and we've had our share of those). But when it's a disagreement, illness, death, or problem within a family, if we know about it we share it...together. I read this quote from Henry Nouwen this morning that says it better:

Community is a fellowship of people who do not hide their joys and sorrows but make them visible to each other in a gesture of hope. In community we say: "Life is full of gains and losses, joys and sorrows, ups and downs - but we do not have to live it alone. We want to drink our cup together and thus celebrate the truth that the wounds of our individual lives, which seem intolerable when lived alone, become sources of healing when we live them as part of a fellowship of mutual care."

I have to continually remind myself of that "gesture of hope" and understand the true Hope in order to just breathe sometimes.