This Philemon letter was quite interesting and I learned a lot. This letter consists of 25 verses and I can hardly believe that this is the 21^st time that we’re discussing it.

As usual, Paul concludes with a greeting and blesses us: ²⁵The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. [NIV] And my question is: Where? Where is God’s grace, because this world is filled with mess and chaos. Is God’s grace really present in the world today?

I received this letter from Moné:

I’m so very sorry for your loss and my heart goes out to you. This is not how life is supposed to work. Parents aren’t meant to bury their children.

I want so share something personal with you today.

I grew up in a Christian home and my parents were wonderful examples to me. As the youngest of five children (the youngest and oldest are girls and the middle three are boys), I can tell you today that I will never ever exchange my childhood and our family for anything in this world.

But life is not fair and sometimes gives you such hard and crooked slaps that you actually wonder whether it was really necessary.

In 2003 my second eldest brother was brutally murdered in his home by burglars, and in 2006 my sister was killed by her husband. It was a terrible time for us as a family and the circumstances and everything surrounding this incident were simply unthinkable.

Then my dearest Dad died on 25 September at the age of 82 and now my Mom is all alone …

What I actually want to tell you is that through it all my parents’ faith did not grow less for even one day. On the contrary, it grew stronger and stronger and I was amazed by this, because I was and sometimes still is very bitter.

My Mom’s words will always stay with me and leave me speechless and awed: “My child, if it wasn’t your brother/sister, who would you have wanted it to be?”

I leave this with you this morning and sincerely pray for comfort, because it’s not an easy road.

Touching, our parents. They who teach us about faith and wisdom. They who show us what to do with the suffering of the world, who show that our faith in God must just grow stronger, even when the answers to many of our questions never come.

Through their faith, we can keep holding on and believing and knowing that ²⁵The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (is) with your spirit …

Scripture
Filemon 1:23-25

Reflection
Where are you suffering?
Do you struggle to hold onto God?
Do you believe that He is always good?

Prayer

Lord, please help me to keep holding onto and believing in your grace and goodness. Not only when things are going well, but especially in hard times. Thank you for never leaving us alone with the mess, but that You have promised to be with us and will take the pain away one day. In Jesus’ Name, amen.