Deconstructing Facebook

 A connection on Facebook posted this with a dramatic photo. 

“I would have pulled Joseph out. Out of that pit. Out of that prison. Out of that pain. I would have cheated nations out of the one God would use to deliver them from famine.

I would have pulled David out. Out of Saul’s spear-throwing presence. Out of the caves he hid away in. Out of the pain of rejection. I would have cheated Israel out of a God-hearted king.

I would have pulled Esther out. Out of being snatched from her only family. Out of being placed in a position she never asked for. Out of the path of a vicious, power-hungry foe. I would have cheated a people out of the woman God would use to save their very lives.

I would have pulled Jesus off. Off of the cross. Off of the road that led to suffering and pain. Off of the path that would mean nakedness and beatings, nails and thorns. I would have cheated the entire world out of a Savior. Out of salvation. Out of an eternity filled with no more suffering and no more pain.

And oh friend. I want to pull you out. I want to change your path. I want to stop your pain. But right now I know I would be wrong. I would be out of line. I would be cheating you and cheating the world out of so much good. Because God knows. He knows the good this pain will produce. He knows the beauty this hardship will grow. He’s watching over you and keeping you even in the midst of this. He’s promising you that you can trust Him. Even when it all feels like more than you can bear.

So instead of trying to pull you out, I’m lifting you up. I’m kneeling before the Father and I’m asking Him to give you strength. To give you hope. I’m asking Him to protect you and to move you when the time is right. I'm asking Him to help you stay prayerful and discerning. I'm asking Him how I can best love you, and be a help to you. I’m believing He’s going to use your life in powerful and beautiful ways. Ways that will leave your heart grateful and humbly thankful for this road you’ve been on.”

This is supposed to be inspirational for those going through suffering or those who know others suffering. And I get it. But it is my nature to dig below the meaning and "find issues" with it. 

1. If I understand the Bible right, we put Jesus on the cross, or our sins did. Yes, from where we sit now we would be appalled by cross-execution, but who would have tried to defy the Romans and rescue Jesus from the cross? Not going to happen. 

2. This is giving oneself far too much credit for empathy. If we would do these things, why aren't we volunteering in the world's worst places?

3. The  last two paragraphs sound to me like an excuse not to help suffering, actually. Who's to say that it's our place NOT to help someone who is suffering with the reasoning that God will use the suffering in a way we can't understand? He will, but that is not an excuse for use to stand back.