Ya Nevah Know

Recently I heard a testimony from someone pretty close to me. It was about a period of darkness and struggling and depression. And I sat there, shocked. I'd had no idea. It had gone on for about three months, if I remember correctly, and there had been only one time in that period where I thought "hm. She seems down." I think (and hope!) that I prayed for her at that time, briefly. But for the rest of that time I was clueless.

This really struck me, and made me think. We can never really tell what's going on in someone else's heart. There's no way to know, really. But we can be consistently loving and supportive! We can uphold each other regularly. I know I have the tendency to get really tunnel-vision-y, and focus on the things I need to accomplish, and on myself. And I'm also not a very observant person. Not a good combination. I need to stick my head up and peer around now and then. And I need to love others as Christ loves.

It made me think about this literary argument held in the early part of our country's history. Writers like Franklin and Emerson believed in the autonomous man. The individual is all, and he can accomplish anything on his own. And, furthermore, no individual can every truly connect with another individual. Writers like Melville, Hawthorne, and Poe believed the opposite: man needs his fellow man in order to survive and flourish. As Melville said, "We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow man." And that's why (incidentally) Poe's characters were often mad. They had fallen into madness because of isolation. His characters' madness wasn't because he was crazy, it was because he was conveying a warning to his readers.

Anyway, before I get into too much detail, I will go on to say that this argument really intrigued me. I heard it at a time when I was feeling isolated and was really needing re-connection. So of course I sided with Melville, Hawthorne, and Poe. And I was desperately hoping they were right. But I really didn't know for sure.

But then, three years later, I was thinking about this testimony, and about the fact that I need to love everyone, all the time, because you never know (and because God tells us to!), and I was talking all of this over with Amy P, when I realized, hey! M, H, and P were RIGHT! I don't agree with them because their view is nicer, or rosier, or whatever. I agree with them because they agree with God! It's the whole idea of the Body of Christ! And unity! Etc. YES, God created us to be connected with other human beings. And therefore, it is possible, and it is right, and it is worth striving after. Whew! What a relief that I had the Bible to assure me, and not just human authors.

So, all this is to say that we don't necessarily know what's going on with other people, but as members of the Body of Christ, we can support and love no matter what.

And the other encouragement was that even though I had no clue what this other person was going through, God did. And His Spirit brought her through into victory. He is always faithful in the lives of each one of our loved ones! And that is a wonderful assurance.