Advent – Joy – Day 16

I could give you theological explanations for suffering in the world. I could tell you the Scriptures where you can find solace in God’s promises during times of pain. 

I could even go so far as to say that this time is joyful because we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and the promises of hope and peace that He brings to a fallen world.

Except there are sad people right now, in all kinds of sad situations, and to speak of joy as if it’s one of those spinning light toys you buy at the circus is like rubbing salt into a wound. 

Family and friends in Alabama are mourning the loss of a bright, young woman who was one of the two killed in a shooting at Brown University over the weekend that left nine others injured. When I heard of what had happened, I never imagined one of those lost would have been a kid with local ties.

I’m also pretty tore up over the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in Australia which left 15 dead and 40 injured. The shooters were targeting Jewish families celebrating Hanukkah.

This morning, news of the homicides of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele looked more like fake news. An article popped up on my social media feed, appearing like a tabloid spread in the style of the old Enquirer or Star magazines.

Apple News said otherwise.

And then to see the response by the President, whose condolence post looked like it was direct from ChatGPT, after it was prompted to go full-blown megalomaniac mode, because what human would ever say something like that?

But kicking a dead man when he’s down is what our world does best sometimes.

That man was one of television’s most beloved characters of all time, and then ol’ Meathead went on to direct some pretty fantastic movies.

Stand By Me was one of them. It’s the first “deep” movie that I had ever seen, one that an eleven-year-old kid could really understand.

It begins with the news of the death of a character–Chris Chambers–and is retold through the eyes of Gordie, Chris’s best friend. Gordie tells the story of when he and Chris, together with their friends Teddy and Vern, set out on a mission to locate the body of a missing boy named Ray Brower who is believed to have been fatally struck by a train. The boys think this is their chance to be heroes and gain some respectability, especially since none of them are considered cool or popular. 

You remember the story. All of the boys struggle with some kind of personal crisis, but in the end, the bond within the group and the strength they gain from each other make the story the classic tale that it is.

It gives viewers hope. It gives them joy. 

It also gives them an up-close view of death, from watching Gordie mourn the loss of his older brother, to the moment when the boys find Ray’s body beside the train tracks, in a peaceful stretch of green woods.

The movie does not gloss over the hard things of life. It makes viewers face them, consider their own mortality, and take a lesson from the boys: 

When life gets hard, get your circle of friends together. Tell a tale. Take a hike. Find a mission to accomplish together. Sit in silence together and stare at the wall.

Take a joyride. Bake something. Go to the movies.

Just do it together. When life turns into a crapshoot, there are people who will ride alongside us and help us make it through. As the character Chris said, “It’s not how you spend your time. It’s who you spend it with.”

And because I’m a pretty faith-filled person, I can’t let this one go without saying that I’ve never regretted spending time with God. It’s been during the hard times of life that I’ve sensed His presence the most. Long nights are not spent alone when your Maker is with you. When I’ve mourned past all reason, feeling like a tattered, wrung-out dishrag, it’s been God who has gently pulled my soul onto His lap and told me that everything’s going to be okay. 

There’s no one like God to stand beside you, to walk with you, to hold you, or to carry you. 

Knowing that—and believing it with all your heart—brings true joy.

God is with me while I write these words. He will also be with me when I find Stand By Me on Netflix, pop some corn, and laugh until the tears roll during the “Barf-o-Rama.”

And forget about the trouble for a little while.

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”

Proverbs 17:17 NIV

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Reflection and Prayer: Dwelling on the terrible things in the world saps the joy from our lives. At the same time, we don’t need to stick our heads in the sand and pretend problems don’t exist. Consider ways you can have a more balanced, healthy approach to cope with the troubles of the world. Pray that God will help you maintain joy, even during life’s sorrowful times.