From the pulpit

Russ Waldrop / News Virginian
Published: October 20, 2007

An analogy from another area of life might help us see it his way. It, too, is one of considerable pain in which the sufferer does more than "grin and bear it" or otherwise merely "put up with it." It is a pain which the sufferer not only knows about and accepts willingly ahead of time, but also plans, prays for and eagerly anticipates. And this experience happens thousands of times a day. It's called childbirth.

In general, a woman knows about the risks and pain of having a baby. Yet, most get married to do just that. And, there's no doubt about it; those hours of labor and delivery can be among the most painful ones imaginable, even with preventive measures.

Yet, what do most mothers say about the pain afterwards- Not that it didn't hurt, of course, but that, "When I saw and held my baby, I forgot about the pain," or, "Oh, yeah, it hurt something awful, but I rarely think about it now," or even, "It was worth it and I plan to have three or four more babies."

So Jesus was praying with that kind of attitude for each one of us: "My glory is shown through them," he said, meaning each person who committed his or her life to him in faith and discipleship (John 17:10b). He specifically included us in this prayer as he realized that, someday, we would hear the gospel that these disciples would preach (v. 20). He also included the entire world in his joyful hope of heaven (v. 23), though with the knowledge that not everyone would accept it (v. 23b, v. 25a).

Parallels to motherhood continue to be seen in Jesus' prayer, especially for the safety of his disciples. What mother has not prayed as he did when she thinks that her children might become at odds with one another or be mistreated by the rest of the world or by Satan's forces- She prays for her children as she simply can not pray for other children (v. 9). She knows that she can not remove them from all danger, but she can pray for their safety when they are vulnerable (v. 15). Though she can not be there for each child at all times, she prides herself on how well she has protected them when she could, even though there is always the risk that one or more of them might become a rebel (v. 12).

So, how do the rest of us experience the joy that makes our suffering bearable- Do we grit our teeth, or grin and bear it, or practice a joyless resignation that barely masks our pain- There are other parallels between Jesus' attitude about his suffering and a mother's attitude toward her own.

Both understand their suffering as necessary for those they love. Both also see real risk involved, including rejection and death; yet, they give their life and love freely and unconditionally, finding more opportunities than drawbacks in their sacrifice. Each one "gives birth," one to earthly life, the other to eternal life. One causes us to be born; the other to be born again. There is joy in both. One question remains.

Is there anyone for whom we would suffer and die, and find joy in doing so-

The Rev. Russell G. Waldrop, D. Min., LPC, is a pastoral counselor and is chaplain of Western State Hospital. Contact him at 540-332-8004 or at .

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