Sometimes We’re Not the Main Character

 

Somehow we always seem to think that we are the main character in our story, that it’s all about us. So when tragedy strikes, the question arises, “Why me?” What have I done to cause or deserve this?

We are taught in God’s Word that when we are following Christ, the enemy will come against us. So, the questions take a different bent, what am I doing for God that the enemy is coming against?

Dear friends, do not be astonished that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice and be glad.  1 Peter 4: 12-13

When it came to the landslide of health issues I had beginning in 2019, I initially thought it was all about me. Surely it had to do with the ministry I was running at my church, and maybe, initially, it did. But late that year my husband began working with the local homeless rescue mission. He found a passion and a calling there. I cannot over emphasize how important this ministry has become to him and how important he has become to them. What’s the one thing that could take him away from it? Me.

Part way through my journey with a brain tumor and surgeries, God impressed on my heart the thought, “Maybe you’re not the main character of this story.” It was mind blowing for me. Of course I was the main character! I was the one with the brain tumor! But let’s face it, I wasn’t the only one involved. My faithful husband was by my side the whole time, even staying overnight in the ICU in an uncomfortable chair with his feet propped up on a commode. I was barely conscious in the ICU for weeks while he was interacting with nurses and doctors, talking with other patient's families and giving them comfort. Let me tell you, he suffered too! He so longed to be out on the streets doing ministry. His two brightest moments during that dark time were when the homeless ministry team stopped by, once at the hospital and once at our house with ice cream for him.

Here’s the Thing: It’s natural when we face suffering to start taking an account of our lives and try to figure out what the lesson is all about. But sometimes the lesson isn’t for us, we’re just a part of the lesson for someone else. Sometimes we’re not the main character.