This too will pass
by Joanne Corney
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You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions (Hebrews 10:34).
Wearingly, conflict and suffering are experiences of life – some abide with us for short times and others for long periods. Sometimes we experience them as we journey alongside those in the thick of it. When you are in it, sometimes there doesn’t seem to be a way out of it – one endures it. It is a hard and heavy space. We share the experience of suffering, but the circumstances of it vary.
In this reading, the writer is using the past tense – it seems to highlight a time of great difficulty that has passed. It highlights how extreme, personal and public the experience was. We infer how costly it was to them personally, socially and financially.
From having known suffering, I find help from the words of this letter. Paul reminds the recipients that this particular suffering has passed. He acknowledges that it was very tough and costly, but that they are on the other side of it. Understandably, there appears to still be a toll on these people from their experience. And, with care for what they’ve weathered, Paul encourages, ‘So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded’. It reads that their ‘confidence’ was very important to them as they endured their unenviable circumstances. This ‘confidence’ from knowing and having experienced the gospel message of Christ is what helped them to persevere, hold to their belief and stand alongside others. Paul notes it was just as important after the suffering as in it. In fact, one could think they were ‘wobbly’ after the travail, and Paul reminds them to use their ‘confidence’ in the aftermath just as they did in the difficulties. It points to not throwing away ‘confidence’ or their belief in any circumstance.
Hopefully, we each can find the words of Paul to the Hebrews helpful, comforting, tender and supportive for times that arrive when one can only endure and wait for them to pass. As needed, may these words of Scripture gift help.
Merciful God, thank you for the encouragement of Paul to remember our ‘confidence’. As the need arises, please help and encourage us in our faith, particularly in times of difficulty. In the name of Christ, Amen.
Joanne Corney is an active member of the LCANZ in Queensland. She has served over many years in voluntary parish pastoral care, ministry and development, and representative roles. During the past seven years, she has worked in the delivery of aged-care chaplaincy for Lutheran Services. Joanne’s areas of service in the church stem from her varied professional roles in healthcare and personal roles in life.
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