Kindly communicate whether the contestant can stay in the bee

For our example of the patient endurance of suffering we can take the prophets who have spoken in the Lord’s name. Remember that it is usually those who have patiently endured to whom we accord the word “blessed!” You have heard of Job’s patient endurance and how God dealt with him in the end, and therefore you have seen that the Lord is merciful and full of understanding pity for us men. James 5:10-11

Certainly the patient endurance of the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds me puts any perceived suffering into a humbled perspective.  However it is true that the journey is not… painless. And the light on the path sometimes glows dimly. 

But how my heart lifts with the promise of The Lord’s nature, His who He is: is merciful and full of understanding pity for us men. This is our hope and the good news we bring to a broken and bruised world trapped in darkness.

Weston shared a word with me this morning, grappling with soul-rending dream: I want you to understand what I feel when a tiny one dies, when a precious child of mine, yet unborn, is killed. You pray to know My ways— These are My ways. My children must give voice to the voiceless. Stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Fight for the rights of all who are helpless and destitute. Speak up and judge fairly, My children, for your brothers and sisters.

You must share in My sufferings to walk in My ways. You must take up your cross to follow Me. For my creation waits in eager expectation for My children to rise up, cloaked in My justice, wreathed in mercy, wrought with compassion, clothed in humility, and enflamed with courage. My army of lovers will hear My voice. My kids will liberate from bondage the poor and needy; they will rescue the destitute and hopeless ones. They will stand for justice when others silently ignore the sufferings of others.

Once again, James repeats, highlights, and underscores the teaching of Jesus:

Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,    for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,    for you will laugh.

In this my heart may take hope and be full of joy, even as it carries a weight of tenderness for the aching world.

And it is a bit befuddling to know how this calling and knowing fits into my quite mundane world of washing dishes and folding clothes and listening to Shakespeare monologues and yes, I am about to pop into the car to be the Spell Master at a local spelling bee full of nervous children clutching long lists of words and even more anxious parents clutching mugs of Starbucks, which is beyond ironic for any who really knows me. 

I so remember that moment of staring totally blankiy at my dad when he explained to me that it did indeed matter how I spelled there, their, and they’re, and that my random rotation of the words throughout my writing just wouldn’t cut it in the real world. People might think I was stupid.

So off I go. With the burden of the world weighing lightly, because He is holding it. And He is merciful and full of understanding pity for us men.