I had to privilege to read a fantastic book this summer by Rob Bell.... his newest book, Drops Like Stars. It is an interesting look at Creativity and Suffering. I highly recommend it and enjoyed that is was a short, yet thought-provoking read. I was introduced to Rob Bell's material through our church and Aunt Sherry suggested I read his newest publication. Just as Rob's past work, Drops Like Stars encourages one to consider the simplest of stories, occurances, and situations in a new light. Not everything has "a Hollywood ending."
Some of my favorite thought provoking quotes:
-"I've heard people trying in to be helpful in the midst of a tragedy or accident or death by saying, "That's just how God planned it," while I thinking, "the god who planned THAT is not a god I want anything to do with." Others with far more wisdom and experience than me have tackled the "Why" questions of suffering... I'm interested in another question- Not "why this?" But "What now?"
-"That's often what happens when we suffer. We had things well planned out. We knew what meant what. We had all of our boxes properly organized and labeled. But all of that was disrupted when we began to suffer. So there's "out of the box" which is often merely a varation of the same thing. And then there are those who think and feel and live and create from a different place. They've had their boxes smashed and their insulators dismantled until... They had no other option but to imagine a totally new tomorrow."
-"Imagine being at a public event like a movie or game or play or religious service and before it starts, someone says to the crowd, " Please stand if you have been affected by cancer." What would you feel? Compassion? Empathy? Solidarity? Connection? Love? A setting of strangers and you mention cancer- a specific suffering- and there's instantly a bond. If someone said
"Please stand ... if you've been to Hawaii" or
"Please stand... if you've had to fire your interior decorator" or
"Please stand... if you drive a station wagon"
It just wouldn't have the same effect, would it?
But suffering, suffering unites."
I hope that you have a chance to read some of Rob Bell's books, or watch some of his DVDs.
Beautiful and as much as it hurts, suffering does unite people. And sometimes, it does not even have to be the exact same suffering experience. But always remembering, suffering ends well, there is always a lesson to be learned and it is out of suffering that we find peace in the end. Love you!
ReplyDelete