The Ache of Disconnection
Full disclosure? The spiritual life involves pain. It demands disconnection. We must let go of things we used to prize and, instead, embrace the way of our Savior, living what’s called the cruciformed life. Listen to how Paul describes his experience:
Philippians 3:7-11- “The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.
I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.”
We hear Paul’s desire for this kind of life in his letter to the Philippian Church, right? We also hear echoes of words like “crux” and “crucified” in cruciform, don’t we? But what does it mean to live such a life? What specific pain and disconnection involve us?
The answers are not without tensions. Author Michael Halcomb, commenting on Saint Paul’s preaching, puts it this way:
“Following a suffering, crucified God seems unwise. Further, to those who view themselves as elites, a life riddled with suffering is unpersuasive. Wouldn’t a powerful God spare himself and his followers pain and suffering?”
That last question hits hard because we’re wired to avoid pain, and much of our society’s technological advancement focuses on this aim. From Tylenol to numbed-out Netflix streaming, we don’t want to feel the profitable pains. We want to unplug from the uncomfortable.
As a pastor, I hear this tension in the cry of so many hearts, “But, God wants me to be… (fill in the blank with “happy,” “healthy,” etc.), doesn’t He?” It’s not a remarkable question given that God is loving and all-powerful. However, it is based on an unbiblical assumption if we are to take Saint Paul’s teaching seriously: following Jesus will hurt.
Even so, the Gospel is still good news. Jesus shares a crown with us, a symbol of His victory. But we must remember that it’s made of thorns.
But to Halcomb’s point, even when we do surrender to a costly discipleship, we wonder if others will see that as a persuasive invitation. We feel that we need to gloss the Gospel, smoothing out the bumps and bruises of its demands. But Scripture is clear. While salvation is an absolutely free gift, following Jesus into the cruciformed life is always costly and often painful. That’s why we must always be honest with those considering Jesus as Lord. They will give up things to follow Him. Opportunities. Comfort. “Me” time. They will feel the ache of that surrender.
Their lives will begin to run counter to a prevailing culture with its Me Monster values. They will swim against powerful currents and fight deceptive riptides. And, it will hurt. Sometimes the pain will be physical. This very day, people will likely be martyred for their faith. Other times, the pain is emotional. They will be unfairly judged, dismissed, passed over, or ridiculed while turning the other cheek.
So, where do we turn for solace when we feel the deep ache of such a demanding disconnection? The pain of giving up “good things” for the sake of Christ? Maybe we follow Jesus into His secret place. Repeatedly, we see Him go to His Father for communion, comfort, and care. The most intimate views of this practice come to us through the Gethsemene Garden narratives. Maybe the gift of God’s Presence in prayer is meant to be more than adequate fortification when partnering with Christ in His suffering.
— Pastor Steve