Series Introduction: For the next 14 days, we will be reading the Bible with Dr Katherine Thompson, whose devotions are drawn from her book The Discipline of Suffering. In her writing, Dr Thompson explores how our understanding of suffering, which takes the form of stories, can be informed by our culture, our own personal narrative, and the individual thought patterns that we adopt. When these stories and thoughts become harmful, we can partner with the Holy Spirit using practical strategies to change them and redeem our brokenness to find healing.
Reflection: I have had some really amazing medical specialists who have supported me over my life. But there have been some days when this just wasn’t the case. Sometimes advice can be well meant but cut you to the bone and demoralise you. Or an insensitive comment can knock the stuffing right out of you. Or a wrong judgement through poor listening and a lack of empathy can leave you rejected and misunderstood.
As people, we can withstand one or two of these experiences because we know other people are generally just doing their best and don’t mean us intentional harm. But over time, they can build up and scar us, produce self-doubt, and make us withdraw. They can lead to anger and deep harm to our identity.
In my life, I think of the crazy things that people have said to me and wish they had thought twice and held their tongue: “your back looks like it will collapse”, “if you are having trouble walking, just limit your walking to 30 minutes per day”, “women your age doesn’t usually get better”, “you just have anxiety”.
Your experiences will be very different to mine. They all stem from one thing, a lack of listening to the lived experience of the person. They lead the person with the illness or disability to the same place – isolation, silence and hopelessness.
However, Jesus Christ is our brother in suffering. Even when other people dismiss us, fail to listen or do not even care, Jesus’ death on the cross means that he feels what we feel and understands what we are going through. We are never totally alone.
Prayer: Praise you, God and Father of Jesus Christ. Thank you for having compassion for us and comforting us in all our troubles. Help us to be a comfort to the people around us. Amen.