In the course of my ministry there are moments - painful moments - when I am able to see with my own eyes the capacity of the human heart to hold both unspeakable pain and grief as well as life-giving hope. Those experiences are deeply holy moments, and when I enter one, I want to remove my shoes because I'm standing on holy ground.
There is nothing stronger or more fragile than the human heart. And when the heart shatters into a million shards of emotional glass, it is the hand of God that holds the pieces together until they are whole again - of that I am sure!
New ministers that I've supervised over the years often asked how it was possible to journey with people as they face the tragedies of life without experiencing ministerial burn-out. You can't tell them that they will probably never sense a host of unseen angels filling a room during a committee meeting, nor will they probably sense the healing hand of God at work while working on the Annual Report. But in those moments when they are privileged to journey into the dark, pain-filled places of life, they will quickly discover that they've entered into a "thin place" where the ministering angels are almost visible, and one can feel God holding together the fragile, pain-filled beating hearts - even their own.
God stands in the agony with those who are suffering, and doesn't turn away. And I believe it is that courageous loving presence of God that helps the human heart to experience a glimmer of hope even when shattered by unbearable pain.
Could there be any greater miracle?
Humbled,
Kim
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