It would have been great to have you me in the time from Xmas '74 to mid February '75 when we had two kids dying per week in the PICU.
"Hey people, The only reason you're feeling bad about losing your child is that you don't think properly. After all, Scripture says, '... as he thinketh in his heart, so he is.' So chin up. Your suffering at the loss of your child is just faithlessness."
Personally, I wouldn't have the nerve to try that on somebody in REAL pain.
But, for all that, it's not all entirely bad. We are obliged to conclude, I think, the Jesus was happy on the cross.
Gosh, with a mesSage like this, I'd think that there'd be a lot of business in Darfur and Rwanda right now.
Y'all! You're not thinking right. So your baby's arm was cut off by some lunatic, so what? You're suffering is because you have the wrong world view. Now just sit down a minute and I'll explain the right world view to you, and your suffering will go away. Of course, you have to figure out how to explain it to your baby."
I think we might have to review our thinking on suffering. Should Jesus just have said to the ruler of the synagogue, "So your daughter's dying. But how are you thinking?" Why didn't the lady who touched the fringe of his garment just experience a sudden clarity of thought?
"Hey people, The only reason you're feeling bad about losing your child is that you don't think properly. After all, Scripture says, '... as he thinketh in his heart, so he is.' So chin up. Your suffering at the loss of your child is just faithlessness."
Surely you would agree that a persons world-view would effect (to some degree at least) their suffering?
In the cold hard light of day,suffering (as in..."we do not despair as those who have no hope)at the loss of a child is faithlessness.
God is transforming us by the renewing of our minds so that we are able to stand in any circumstance.
God bless