Ready for the Jab!
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye (Matthew 7:3-5).
As I sat to recall how my conversation went on that glorious day, the only thing I could remember was that stern yet quiet voice on the other side of the phone line saying, “you do not qualify, I’m sorry, but you’re not the right person for our patients.” What? Not the right person? What do you mean I am not the right person for the patients? What does the organization want? I am not ill or weary. I am strong, healthy and heart-strong. I can empathetically help those patients. This is what a cancer patient needs (so I thought). For the life of me, as my teenage mind grappled with the thoughts, I could not believe that I was turned down as a volunteer to support the healing journey of a cancer patient because; I do not have or know of anyone who has had cancer at that point in my life. It was not until years after, having grown and understand life and delving into scriptures, that the whole process became clear.
That stern, quiet voice on the other side of the phone line revealed a secret that I have termed as the ‘jab.’ In my previous post, I mentioned that the calling of God in our lives is not one of physical comfort, rather one that is made up of un-comfortability. The revelation of “the jab” is pronounced all throughout the scriptures. It is so phenomenal that society has been acquainted with “walk the walk” or “talk is cheap.” The jab in fighting terms is a straight punch, which is rendered with one’s leading hand to an opponent, or in medicine, the poke or stab received with a needle to the body. Being jabbed is not fun. It hurts, much like a fighter who keeps getting up after receiving many jabs. However, they’ve developed their muscles, so the next jab does not hurt as much anymore. Additionally, they now can walk and train others to defend against their jabs because they understand and can relate to the pain.
A jab is what the stern yet quiet voice was trying to allude to me. Have I been jabbed? Do I understand the pain the patients have and are still enduring? Can I feel, relate and understand where they are coming from? Can I welcome their sorrow, confusion and still with heart-strong lead them through this journey? The answer was a great big No! As much as I wanted to help, there was a great chance I could have scarred my young soul and, worse, dismissed the feelings, pain and anguish a patient may have had in their time of need.
Our faith walk comprises of many jabs. To endure the process of jabbing is to gain the experience and be qualified to speak and act in confidence with others, walk them through knowing with certainty that they too will come with an expected end. How can we tell of God’s mercy, love, patience, goodness, protection, provision if we have not experienced this first hand? Do we know pain, frustration, anger, disappointment, loss? Have we faced challenges, stretched and have persevered, or are we still trying to endure? Do we know true happiness, love, rest and fulfilment? As the salt and light of this world, the jabs of life are the muscle we build to testify to the lost.
In Matthew, Jesus instructed us to remove the plank in our own eyes to see clearly to remove the speck from others’ eyes (Matthew 7:3-5). This scripture reference is a metaphor for how we need the jabs of life first to help others go through it. We see throughout scriptures how David grew increasingly frustrated, was tormented and found in constant running and hiding, struggling in his faith (Psalm 71 – 90). Yet he persevered through (Psalm 142:1-2), and now we have a frame of reference on topics such as self-esteem (Psalm 139:23 – 24), forgiveness (Psalm 38:18; 32:1-4), depression (Psalm 34:4), suffering (Psalm6:4-10; 10:16-18; 29:3-9), praise (Psalm 156:6) and love (Psalm.136).
David was jabbed. Job was jabbed on purpose! He was jabbed when God allowed Satan to alter his good fortune. Job’s experience has taught us how to question God in our desperate times of need, repent and stay humble before God (Job 1:20-21). Esther, an orphan, had to be stripped of her personal freedom to win freedom for her Jewish community. Esther’s life jab has taught us courage (Esther 4:16), breaking our silence for the cause (Esther 4:14), and that our life situations are temporary.
The ultimate lesson in the bible is God had to send his beloved and sinless son, Jesus Christ, to earth, to endure sin, die for a people who will continue to denounce his very existence. Have you seen your jabs in life for what they are? The jabs in life are our experiences. They are our testimonies, and they are our praises. Our jabs enable us the understanding to walk alongside our neighbors through their life happenings. They are not be dismissed, eliminated, run from or dwelled in. They are to be questioned; God, how are you using this situation? Embraced; God, what am I to know in this situation, and they are to be pressed through; God who is on the other end for this testimony. Now that I have matured and have some life experience, I can be the right person to support and rejoice with others.
Dianne
We don’t often reflect on what life may have in store for us or for those we love. I have held the hand of a dying patient in my career it lost a baby and questioned why. Lately with my Bible readings I am starting to understand how blessed I am to have a God send his son to die for me and forgive my sins do I can start fresh . I still need more to better understand what God wants from me and I’m always asking him to tell me . I’m still being jabbed .
❤️
Ernestina
DiannePraise God for your transparency Dianne. I am especially excited for your continual ‘ask’ for God for understanding and to show you what He requires from you. He is good and faithful that once we persevere in our seeking, He will show us in His perfect time. Remain in Him and you won’t be disappointed.