Ten years ago today was the day I lost my mother in a car accident. I wrote about this experience last year, so I won't revisit the story.
However, I was reminded today of the lonely and confusing world of dealing with death.
We live in a culture that doesn't always know how to deal with death and dying. We spend billions of dollars as a nation to mask our aging. In many ways we have sterilized the dying process. I often see people who are afraid, embarrassed, or unsure of how to deal outwardly with their grief. Sometimes, it seems like it is culturally unacceptable to grieve.
I am so thankful that during my time at Rochester I have interacted with John & Sara Barton, who served as missionaries to Uganda, and several students from Uganda who have attended Rochester College. Through them, and several indirect experiences with deaths in Uganda, I have learned a lot about how at least one other culture deals with death.
Last night I shared my life story with the Rochester Church. Part of that story included the deaths of my mom and Michelle's mom, who died several months apart in 1999. Any time I share my story of grieving, be it in front of a few hundred people or sitting in my office with one student wrestling with grief, there is power in community, sharing sorrow, and helping carry one another's burdens.
I wonder what kind of difference it would make in our churches if we could become more transparent and honest about the times we are hurting. Not only could it help those dealing with the pain, I believe it would draw our churches closer together and move us closer to the koinonia community that God desires.
shine!
Jason
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