No Easy Button

Do you remember those Easy Button commercials from Staples (like this one)? When faced with a difficult situation, the person in the commercial simply hits the button for an easy way out. Of course, life doesn’t have an easy button, and neither does ministry.

Ever since returning to Romania in May, I’ve been faced with an increasing number of difficult situations – situations which have no easy solution.

Some of these situations are financial. Over 25 people from our church in Tigmandru left Romania for several weeks this summer – many working long hours in the strawberry fields of Germany – to earn enough money to feed their families and heat their homes through the winter months. Others I know weren’t so fortunate; they had to return home before earning enough to pay for their round trip travel expenses, thus going even farther into debt.

It’s not uncommon during the cold winter months to be confronted with the overwhelming material needs of the poorest of the poor, such as their lack of proper clothing, shoes, and heating. But there’s always been the hope of spring and summer when needs won’t be as severe. But this year it’s been different. People still haven’t recovered from the severe winter here. It’s not just affecting the poorest of the poor. My middle-class retired neighbors are feeling the impact of increased prices and lowered pensions. One neighbor is having to choose between paying her gas bill (still unpaid since the cold winter months) or providing medical treatment for her sick teenage son, while she herself works back-to-back shifts at her job to make ends meet.

Other situations involve health problems. Various friends have been in and out of the hospital this summer, including the infant son of a church member. Another church member can’t afford medical care to treat severe kidney stones, and he’s unable to work until they are treated, leaving his family without the means to even basic necessities.

Other situations involve safety. There have been at least two serious car accidents Tigmandru this summer involving people I know. Drivers of cars and trucks alike ignore the 30mph speed limit and hurry through the village at speeds in excess of 50mph. One car hit a parishioner’s house. Another hit a friend of mine walking along the road (who, although wounded, thankfully did not receive life-threatening injuries).

During the month of July, there was a tense political situation in the country, as the prime minister’s party called for the impeachment of the president. It's a very complex situation which doesn't have a single simple solution.

There have also been spiritual, moral, and interpersonal conflicts. These are perhaps the hardest to face. I have watched as some who were active in the church several years ago continue to distance themselves from living in a relationship with God. I’ve witnessed time after time how one person's sin can tear apart not only their own lives, but the lives of others. I've had to work against cultural norms that tolerate and even accept sinful acts, while at the same time discipling young Christians who strive to do what is right.

These are not issues that have an easy answer. I wish there were one. It’s not possible to provide for all the material and financial needs I face. I can’t guarantee safety or health, and I can’t make spiritual decisions for someone else. When presented with these complicated and difficult situations, sometimes even offering to pray for those affected doesn’t seem like the right response. Don’t misunderstand me; I believe in the power of prayer, but I’ve experienced times when the one offering the prayer overemphasizes spirituality and has, in effect, ignored the real needs of the person outside of spiritual needs.

I’m learning that sometimes it’s not about “doing” but rather about “being.” I’m slowly becoming a better “be-er” rather than simply a “doer.” It’s hard, coming out of a culture that places so much emphasis on what and how much we do. But I’m learning what it means to spend time with people in need, understanding their circumstances, praying with them, working together to find solutions, and providing spiritual support and counsel.

I ask you to please remember to pray for Romania. These are real situations. Please pray that I and others will have the wisdom to know how to respond with God’s grace, to be friends with those affected, to show Christ’s love, and to convey His peace.

Maybe the easy button is entrusting all of these things to God -- not expecting them to magically disappear, but trusting Him to provide the way through.