Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: PAIN (04/21/22)
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TITLE: Joy Comes in Believing | Previous Challenge Entry
By Tammy Ortung
04/28/22 -
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She stared blankly at the large cross mounted behind the podium. Why did I come tonight? She wondered. She felt lonely. It was one thing to want to go unnoticed, but quite another to be invisible.
“Good Evening, Ladies,” the emcee said, startling Charly out of her reverie. The speaker absently brushed her black hair out of her eyes as she made announcements, opened in prayer, and then introduced the guest speakers.
A blond medium-built woman entered through the side door flanked by her son, E.J.. She hurried to keep pace as he maneuvered his chair across the floor and halted in front of the stage. As always, E.J.’s wide, engaging grin pulled a reluctant smile from Charly. Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember ever seeing E.J. without a smile on his face. She felt drawn to him, like an insect to light. She envied his obvious happiness despite the fact that he’d spent his entire life in a wheelchair, was dependent on his parents for everything, and would probably never have what was considered a normal life.
Unlike E.J., Charly rarely felt like smiling these days. How could she when her life was falling apart? While their circumstances varied, she felt like she had a lot in common with this family who had overcome so much adversity. She’d wanted, no, needed to hear their story. What was their secret? How could they appear so joyful, at peace, even happy?
The room quieted as mother and son told their unique sides of the same story. The challenges each faced when handling all the problems that came with Spina Bifida. The rotating four-hour catheterizations. The thirty-seven surgeries he’d had during his short lifetime. His defiance of all the doctor’s expectations. The special cruise for families just like theirs, and E.J.'s enjoyment in the unprecedented freedom to roam the entire ship and hang out with his friends, completely on his own, without any adult supervision or transportation needs.
“Have you ever blamed God?” someone asked when they opened the floor for questions.
“No, because there’s always someone who’s got it worse,” E.J. said.
Did he sincerely believe that? Charly had been feeling sorry for herself ever since she’d caught her husband looking at inappropriate things on the Internet—again. Her mood plummeted further when some women at the church had betrayed her trust after she’d confided in them and asked for prayer. And if that wasn’t enough, her daughter was in rehab and her elderly dog wasn’t doing well. Yet after hearing E.J.’s testimony, her problems seemed minuscule in comparison.
She’d been reading recently about Job, a man described by God as “blameless and upright,” but he’d lost everything: his family, animals, and wealth, on the whim of Satan who questioned his virtue and was allowed to test his faith. The part of the story that most amazed Charly was that in the midst of all his suffering, Job still praised God. Just as E.J. had done. Yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find any joy in her suffering.
She was hurt by how these women she’d thought were her friends acted as if they were better than her and seemed to be laughing at her humiliation. She wondered if God was allowing her to be tested like Job. If so, she felt too torn down and too suffocated by the walls closing in around her to praise God. All she felt was hopeless.
As Charly raptly listened to the many questions and the continual answers full of faith and hope given by E.J. and his mother, she felt Jesus speaking into her heart.
Job trusted me, why can’t you?
E.J. did it, you can too.
Remember what I said, “Anything is possible if a person believes.” Do you believe in me, Charly?
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she found herself praying, “Lord, I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.” (Mark 9:23-24 NLT)
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