Chippy’s misfortune and other hardships

Editor’s note: Nancy Kennedy took some time off this week. This 2018 column is one of her favorites.

Chippy the parakeet never saw it coming.

As Chippy’s owner turned on the vacuum cleaner to clean out Chippy’s cage, the phone rang, and as she reached to answer it, the vacuum cleaner hose moved slightly toward Chippy and — “thwuuupp!”

Chippy’s owner immediately dropped the phone, tore open the vacuum cleaner bag to rescue the very dusty, very scared bird and then rinsed him off under the water faucet.

Poor Chippy, shivering cold and scared, his owner, in an effort to dry and warm him, blasted Chippy with hot air with a blow dryer.

A few days later, a newspaper reporter who had first reported the story about Chippy’s misfortune called to ask how things were going.

“Chippy doesn’t sing much anymore,” his owner said. “He just sort of sits on his perch and stares.”

That story is from a 2011 sermon by Orlando pastor Joel Hunter, about the hardships of life, in which he unpacked Romans 8:28, one of the go-to Bible verses that many people cling to when they’re going through hard times.

Here it is from the Amplified version:

“And we know (with great confidence) that God (who is deeply concerned about us) causes all things to work together (as a plan) for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his plan and purpose.”

As Hunter dissected the verse to draw out its meaning and promise in all its fullness, he said: “And we know that God — that’s pretty much the whole story. When you’ve been through or are going through a horrible time in your life, you often don’t know the ‘what’ — What is this about? What should I do? You don’t know the ‘when’ — When will this be over?

“And the ‘why’ — that’s the question we want answered most when we’re in pain — ‘Why?’ We may never know the why,” he said, “but we know the ‘who.’ We know God. And if you know the who, then you don’t need to know the answers to the other questions.”

In my experience, peace comes from knowing that whatever I go through, God is deeply concerned and not unaware, even if it feels like it or looks like it.

He’s not surprised but is, in fact, using and shaping and fitting all things, the good, the not-good and the terrible, every circumstance, every sorrow, every joy, every everything to work together for good, an intricate puzzle, a divine plan.

All things are not good. Tragedy is not good. Evil is not good. But God is good and he works all things, even the worst of the very worst, together for good for those who love him and are called according to his plan and purpose.

He doesn’t waste anything, neither does he arbitrarily cause his people to suffer. Like a skilled heart surgeon who cuts flesh to reach a heart in need of repair, each moment of pain the surgeon causes is specifically designed for ultimate good.

That, I think, is the essence of faith, trusting in what we cannot see or touch or understand and yet believing it will one day bear fruit.

Hunter also said, “You will never know the peace of God in the midst of pain unless you experience pain, how he shows up and gives us his grace to go through it.”

I’d much rather not have pain, but it’s not an option.

And although I can’t speak for Chippy the parakeet, these words of promise from scripture give me comfort.

I have experienced God showing up in the midst of pain, giving his grace to go through it, and I know he will do it again.

Nancy Kennedy can be reached at 352-564-2927 or by email at nkennedy@chronicleonline.com.