I’ve watched NBC’s ER from the beginning. It’s lost some of its luster, but it’s still a decent show. The season just started for us and so we’re still getting to know Angela Basset’s character. In the last episode, Parental Guidance, a mother brings in her daughter who’s apparently fallen off a concrete ledge and broken her leg. Along with the daughter comes the younger sister.
Long story short…the younger sister is responsible for pushing the older. She seems to be mentally unstable and in the end is taken away to the Psych Unit. The mom is left in the ER facing Dr. Banfield (Bassett). The mom asks if her family is going to be okay, is her girl going to become “normal” again.
Dr. Banfield responds by saying she doesn’t know. This answer is not good enough for the mom. The mom says, “but you’re the doctor. You’re supposed to know these things. We bring our sick to you and you’re supposed to know the answer. It’s not good enough for you to say you don’t know.” I paraphrased, but that’s the gist of it.
As I watched it struck me that reality is such that the overwhelming majority of people are looking for answers. Things like, is their marriage going to last, are they going to make it through the tough financial times, why are they here, what are they supposed to do with their life? But for most of us, we’re too afraid to ask, don’t know who to ask, or too afraid of what the answer might be. So, we sit in silence, carry on with our life, and pretend that things are okay.
People are seeking. The want to know answers. The over-used, seldom helpful answer that comes from evangelical Christianity is Jesus. Jesus is the answer to all these questions. I know that’s the answer, because there was a time I used that answer when these kinds of questions were asked of me. But I don’t know that that’s the best answer. Now don’t get me wrong, I fully believe that a personal relationship with Jesus provides help through much of what ills the individual. But to get a person to see the need for Jesus in their life you have to be willing to walk the journey with them. They need to see the bigger picture. They need to understand the purpose of creation, the separation that ensued, the need for a savior. Yes, Jesus brings hope, peace, stability, calmness, joy. But those things mean nothing unless Jesus has made himself real to the person that is seeking, and in return that person is seeking after Jesus.
So, you might wander what my point is. Very simply this…be willing to walk the journey with those in your life that are asking the questions and seeking the answers. Don’t be a know it all. Be a listener. Point them to the whole truth of the Bible. Don’t beat them over the head with Jesus.
