There are two girl were thrown into Ravenbruck, a concentration camp of Nazi Germany. Their place is swarming with fleas and it is so nasty at all. They tried to pray to God and found that God answer is let them give HIM thanks in everything from the Bible in Thessalonians. They name are Corrie and Bestie. They give thank to God for everything. Bestie thank God for the fleas but Corrie disagree with her. Corrie thought that there is no way even God can make her grateful for it. But Bestie keep in her faith for give thanks in all circumstances. At last, they know that supervisor wouldn’t step through their door just because the fleas. And then Corrie gave thanks to God for creatures she had seen no use for.
This reading reminds me a few of book I read. First, I just want you to know that some point of view make me agree but there is a side that make me disagree. Second, I just want to give you questions and answers then tell you my opinion about give thank. Last, I just want to reflect my experience of reading any of books to connect the reading and give my responses.
Give thanks, which the sweetest words in the world for any of people, notably for Christian. But, I doubt that thanks for the most of people are in the real thanks for God. Just like we knew that the Bible said in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ‘Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you’[1] but the questions is, is God makes us become hypocrite person? When we feel not comfort with any problem and situation we just give HIM thanks? Or when we pain by the people we know or we are stressed out with our problem we just says to God, “Thank You LORD for this feeling” but inside our heart HE can hear that we are angry and fed up with HIM.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 should be construed by good right. Thessalonians is a pastoral letter to the church in Thessalonica addressed to the actual situation in which it finds itself, a situation where it is important to strengthen the first steps in the Christian life against attacks and against doubt of resurrection of the dead, so that the church – remembering its beginnings – can confidently continue on the road upon which it has set out in faith. I doubt that Paul teach the church in Thessalonica to become hypocrite with his statement about grateful.
The reading perhaps makes the most of Christian become grateful sanctimoniously. Not just the reading that I scared about, but the texts in the Bible give us the problem too. Inside his book, EGS try to show this problem.
Ketika gereja demi gereja mengalami perusakan dan pembakaran, mahasiswa yang bertugas memimpin doa syafaat dalam kebaktian harian di Fakultas Teologi UKDW pada masa itu terus menerus bersyukur oleh karena hari yang indah yang diberikan Tuhan dan bimbingan-Nya, “sehingga sampai saat ini keadaan kami baik-baik saja”. Sampai pada suatu saat saya tidak tahan lagi dengan doa-doa yang sangat “sopan” ini. Pada suatu pagi sebelum petugas doa syafaat naik ke mimbar, saya mencegat dia dan memintanya untuk berdoa dengan membacakan doa-doa yang telah disusun oleh teman-teman KWI, yang memuat situasi konkret yang terjadi antara lain perusakan dan pembakaran rumah ibadah. Keesokan harinya doa-doa mulai menjadi konkret.[2]
I think, Corrie (the girl inside the text of reading) doesn’t happy with her situation and just tried to explain Bestie (another girl inside the text) how uncomfortable she was. Bestie’s answer perhaps right but these answer doesn’t makes people feel the real calm with their situation and definitely also with their grateful. I think, Bestie must realize that lamentations also the needs of everybody. God gives us heart to feel it. God gives us tears to cry and mouth to tell HIM our situation. People are living in the world of this situation although sometime we don’t know it’s happen to us right now. We are human that never far away from the problem and sin, therefore we always cry for every bad moment in our lives but we must realize that we are human in Christ that never far away from HIS almighty power. So, please try to giving up your burden with lamentations and keep in faith that God will never let you walk alone then give HIM thanks with every moment and things you face to face. Just let everything known as the experience with God, so we can grateful with the real thanks.
From this reading, I just want to tell the Christian to be honest with God. I don’t tell you to not give HIM a lot of thank and gratefulness but also tell HIM your lamentations at all. Just like Old Testament said in Lamentations 3:41, ‘Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in Heaven’[3]. That’s mean, tell God our pain and give HIM our thanks to keep our faith in HIS almighty power. God speed.
[1] The New King James Bible, New Testament © 1979 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
[2] Emanuel Gerrit Singgih. Iman dan Politik dalam Era Reformasi di Indonesia, cet.4. 2004. Jakarta: Gunung Mulia, hal. 35-36.
[3] New International Version Witness Edition © 1986 by Zondervan Publishing House and International Bible Society.
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