Advent 14
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
—1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-7 (NIV)
I get it. I really do. It is hard to be around suffering. There’s only so much we can take. We run out of steam. We are afraid or get overwhelmed by doubts. And sometimes we say really, really stupid things. Like “Well, at least….” These are the words of minimizers who want to reframe pain into something more palatable for them. It’s this kind of performative joy that exhausts the sufferer because suddenly they have become a problem to solve, rather than a person to be present with. Love is slower than that.
Theologian and nurse John Swinton reminds us that we need to be participating in what God is doing in the moment: “the continuing recreation of the world….God’s time is gentle, generous. It moves at the speed of love.” So the next time you are feeling uncomfortable in the face of someone’s suffering or tempted to reach for words like “well, at least…,” slow down. Move at the speed of love instead.