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Pressure, Perplexity, Persecution, and Pummeling


 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (II Corinthians 4:7-9)


          There’s a scene in the movie Jaws in which the shark researcher and the shark hunter square off in a scar-fest. “See this,” one would say, “I got this from a….” and the other would say, “See this, I got it from a ….” All the while, the land-loving sheriff sat in pain, unable to compete with these sea-faring men. There are times when I feel like that Sheriff Brody. I haven’t faced the monsters from the cold, dark sea that surrounds the “island” that is my life. I’m not a Super Saint, or even a Wonder Woman, even though I sometimes make people wonder.
          Sometimes, people post memes on social media that says that if I haven’t suffered as much as our soldiers on the battlefield, or this one who has this disease or that trauma, I need to get my life in perspective because I haven’t suffered enough to deserve anyone’s pity or compassion. It’s the same game even if the scarred one isn’t present or even if the scarred one doesn’t exist.
          We are all jars of clay. Most of us have been damaged. You might say, we’re all cracked pots. One person might be a huge, heavy container for water. Someone else might be made of clay that is so think you can see sunlight through it. What’s important, I keep telling myself, is that the power seen is from God. We don’t make it through pressure, perplexity, persecution or pummeling because we’re big, strong shark researchers or shark hunters. We don’t even make it through because we’re sturdy clay jars. We make it through pressure, perplexity, persecution and pummeling even though we’re land loving sheriffs or delicate clay dishes because of the power of God. 
          There should be no contest. When you see a cracked pot, look for the power of God. If you can be the conduit through which that power can flow seize the chance. Instead of telling the person in pain that she doesn’t meet your minimum requirements for compassion and needs to see things from your perspective, take the time to look at that person. You may see God’s power at work,

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