While I was visiting a dear older gentlemen from our church today who is in the hospital recovering from a stroke, he commented several times about being "in a hole" and wondered how he got himself into that situation. He didn't seem discouraged by the stroke, the restraints, the therapy, and the rest of the medical stuff, just reflective.
"Stuck in a hole" that he couldn't climb out of, but neither was he sinking further in. Or at least, he couldn't climb out of it by himself, so others were there to help him - the medical staff, his family, the people at church with their prayers, his friends and others in our town who know him. And these same people also were keeping him from sinking further in, with their skills, their love, their compassion and concern.
And with him is Jesus, I pointed out. He may not be entirely aware of where Jesus is, exactly, but He's with him in the hole this week.
Because that's the way Jesus works. When one of His children falls into a hole, Jesus doesn't stand on the edge of the hole and call down "Are you all right?" Jesus doesn't stand on safe, solid ground and toss a rope down: "Here, wrap this around yourself and climb up."
Jesus comes into the hole Himself. He has joined, and joins us still, in discouragement or despair or simple reflectiveness. He has joined us, and joins us still, in sickness or infirmity or even death. He joins us, holds us, comforts us tenderly with His love and His embrace. He may pull us out of the hole we find ourselves in, or He may hold us tenderly into death. But he will not leave us.
And we will not stay in the hole forever. We will leave, in this life or in the next, into the place that He is even now preparing for us, a place to live in His love and His light forever.
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