Corinthians

There is a grab-bag of personalities in my office. I genuinely like them all, though sometimes I want to wring a neck or two. I can think of one or two traits from each that I would like to incorporate into my own self. The most important one is the most genuine Christ-like behavior that I see on a daily basis. My 30 year-old co-worker Paul* is truly amazing in his complete unflappable ability to always be friendly, kind, considerate, and thinking of others. I’ve never heard him utter a swear word, never participates in gossip, and always tries to think the best of each person he meets.

He and his wife married ten years ago, lived overseas as a young Christian missionary couple, directed a youth program for seven years, came back to the states, to attend graduate school, both have a great sense of humor and style, love their families, etc. Truly a life to be envious of.

A few months ago, I noticed that Paul wasn’t as cheerful as usual and was missing work a lot. I know he has a small medical condition and asked some of our co-workers if everything was okay with him. It’s been such a subtle difference they didn’t know anything was wrong.

Today I mentioned something or other to him about his family, and he was very silent for a moment before he explained to me that he recently got a divorce. I was so very, very surprised and saddened by it, that I actually started to cry. He was so kind, but honest about the situation. “Some days its not so hard, and some days it really is.”

As I was walking home this evening I was thinking of a recent passage I came across in 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” In the mortal plane of our existence we each will have big and small trials and test of faith and courage. We do become perplexed. Why did this pain happen? Why did that event take place? We do feel persecuted. Why did my boss criticize my performance? Why did an old friend lash out at me? We are troubled on every side: Will I have a job in this economy? Will my husband/brother/friend come back from the war? Yet in spite of our fears, we go on because we are not distressed nor in despair nor destroyed.

I know I feel this great strength of courage in me, but I’m not sure that I always exhibit it on the outside. But Paul, he has taught me again today, what it means to walk in hope and faith and joy in the light of Christ.