Today’s Word Is TRANSPARENCY

I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” – King David (Psalm 42:9-10)

I had the great privilege during my seminary days at Emory University of attending a lecture by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author of the classic book, On Death and Dying. The book was based on her many years of working with patients who had terminal illnesses and introduced the concept of the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance.

During her lecture she told us about an incident when she was in the hospital room of an elderly lady who was dying of cancer, and who was angry at God, expressing it quite openly. Dr. Ross listened patiently through all the complaints and emotions. When she left the woman’s room, she encountered a pastor who had been outside the door listening to what was going on.

(At this point, you need to know that Dr. Ross was born in Switzerland, was very short and thin in appearance, and spoke with a delightful European accent. But as I observed her during her lecture, I surmised that despite her small stature, she was probably pretty feisty.)

The pastor was waiting outside the door with a reprimand. “Why did you let that woman say awful things about God like that? I heard it all the way out here. She was insulting God! You should have stopped her from saying such irreverent things!”

Dr. Ross put her hands on her hips in a scolding manner, and looking up at the much taller pastor, said with a shake of her head, “I think He’s big enough to take it!” And off she marched, leaving the pastor to reconsider his theology.

What this cancer patient was being allowed to do was to practice transparency with God. Her feelings were strong. She was unhappy with her condition and ready to “let God have it!” This openness obviously helps us more than it helps him. He knows our situation and how we feel about it.

If you’re waiting for things to get better in your life before you spend some time or improve your relationship with the Lord, or if you’re afraid to talk to God because you wouldn’t have anything nice to say at the moment … well … It would probably be better just to let it out. God wants to hear all those things. It’s all part of staying on track with God. If this transparent approach to your relationship with him is a new thing for you, I understand. But if you need to shout and complain to God, I feel confident in saying that it won’t knock him off his throne!

Honesty with God helped King David to vent his feelings, as in the Scripture above. But one thing David does in many Psalms is to teach us how to come back around to God’s point of view. The next verse after the above Scripture says, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:11)

I’ve heard my share of complaints from people who are suffering from trials and tribulations, including hospital patients. I want to imitate my heavenly Father and be “big enough to take it” and still care about the complainer.

Have a blessed day,

Chaplain Mark

BY THE WAY, the movie The Apostle, starring Robert Duvall as an evangelist, has some pretty good “transparency with God” scenes. (Warning, it’s a little rough in places.)