Why Bother?

There is a very congenial client of whom I have been engaged with for over a year now; deciding “exactly” what a piece of furniture is to look like for her exquisite living space. The nuances of her dreams, which are often, not to mention the multitude of pictures seen in magazines, continue to complicate the matter of building her piece. Due to her long and demonstrated felicitous persona, it caught me a bit off guard when, in her exasperation, blurted “why bother?” When I have uttered the term, I think it’s most times that my thinking goes something like: "There's no use trying. This is just the way it is." And to me such an outlook seems realistic in the face of some insurmountable challenge. 

A few days ago, I encountered this same reasoning in my reading of Mark, chapter five. It happens after a man named Jairus asks Jesus to follow him to his home to heal his dying daughter. Mark reports, "While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. 'Your daughter is dead,' they said. 'Why bother the teacher any more?'"  Given this ominous news, their rhetorical question appears entirely reasonable, though they surely show a lack of compassion for Jairus or an understanding of what has just taken place. Jesus was speaking with a woman who was immediately healed when she touched his garments. Yet what interests me further is the attitude often veiled in this question: resignation, cynicism, and false pride.

I am noticing more and more these days all sorts of issues facing me and my friends, which are disappointing, often scary, and can illicit despair.  In fact I know some who are bowing their heads and asking, “even so Lord, come quickly,” conceding to the “why bother” attitude. But I've taken a little while to ruminate in considering this way of thinking and discover just how costly it might be for me. Let alone being an anathema to the Scriptures and all that Jesus taught. In fact, Jesus's response couldn't be more revealing: "Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, 'Don't be afraid; just believe'" Arriving at Jairus's home, Jesus then ushers those cynically laughing at him out of the house and raises the child to life again before her father and mother.

Yes, I have been tempted to reason, "That was then; this is now. Am I honestly to pray and believe that God is going to resurrect a loved one?" No, I reason this isn't quite what this passage is teaching, for such historical narrative first and foremost provides evidence that Jesus is God incarnate (rather than three principles for receiving an answer to prayer). However, the evidence of Jesus's identity and power unfolds a very tangible application, and one that is found throughout the gospels. That is this: If God can really overcome death and raise someone to life, surely is God not also able to strengthen, heal, or provide for me in times of trouble? Furthermore, I conclude with St Paul when he wrote to the Roman believers, "if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you". The question it seems then is whether I believe that this same life-giving power can be at work within me or whether I’ve resigned myself to "This is just the way it is."  

In Luke eighteen, the first few verses, I read a parable given by Jesus of a widow without a family in first-century Greco-Roman society who could have easily concluded "why bother," before a powerful judge who "neither feared God nor cared about men" and who refused her petition for justice. Yet, I believe Jesus employs this very story to teach about prayer. Refusing to believe that "this is just the way it is,"the widow persists in her cry for justice to the judge. "For some time he refused," says Jesus. "But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'"

David Wells, of whom I have been learning from these past few month comments on this parable: "Nothing destroys petitionary prayer (and with it, a Christian view of God) as quickly as resignation. 'At all times,' Jesus declared, 'we should pray' and not 'lose heart,' thereby acquiescing to what is." 

Father, God I am still on a steep learning curve when it comes to accepting "what is" is not always "just the way it is!" Forgive me when I, plainly, just don't bother to pray and not lose heart. Thank You, Father for Your Spirit helping me to in realizing more and more that my fearless persistence and prayer is gong to continue to be costly but yet to counter my "Why bother?" which will surely be costlier still.  Amen.