The Why of Suffering... made personal

A recent picture of Lyndon and Laura Martin and their five children

A few weeks ago in this space we explored ‘why questions’. We discussed that ‘why questions’ are harder to answer than ‘where questions’, ‘how questions’, and ‘when questions.’ And then I shared an unexpectedly insightful ‘why question’ from my then-7-year-old son Jefferson.

But we did not touch on what is possibly the hardest ‘why question’ of all. The Why of Suffering.

Then this week happened.

And suddenly that unavoidable ‘why question’ is staring us in the face.

Sunday evening I took a frantic phone call from my sister, saying that our daughter-in-law’s brother, Lyndon Martin, had just been struck by lightning and killed instantly.

Lyndon lived with his wife, Laura and five children in Guatemala on our daughter-in-law Jeanette's home farm/coffee plantation.

He was in the pasture on this peaceful Sunday afternoon rounding up the cows for evening milking. It had started to rain a little when lightning suddenly struck close and powerfully only once. When Lyndon did not return in normal time, his 12 year old son went looking for his daddy and found him lying in the cow pasture, apparently a direct hit by that one lightning bolt.

It was all so sudden, so unexpected, so horrific, so unexplainable…WHY? Lyndon is not suffering, we know. But his poor 12 yr old son, his dear wife, the other children! Lyndon's parents and his siblings! WHY? Hot tears...

So our shock and grief and questions are real. But they are nowhere near the shock and questions that Lyndon’s wife and children and immediate family feel. Dawn and I are catching a flight yet today and by the time you read this, will be in Guatemala to offer some small support to the grieving family during the viewing and funeral.

Please pray for the whole family. But especially pray down grace for Lyndon’s wife, Laura. She is left with 5 children. The oldest is 12 and the youngest are twins who will soon be 3.

Maybe sometime we can examine this ‘why of suffering’ question more closely in this blog, but for now, as a small comfort, I offer to you an excellent sermon entitled "The Why of Suffering" that I heard a few years ago. It is preached by a Mennonite bishop whom I admire and I believe you will find his sermon thought-provoking.

This sermon is remarkable in its own merit, but especially so because of its timing and background. Brother Melvin Burkholder is a grandfather and he’s preaching this Sunday morning sermon just one day after the funeral of his infant granddaughter who tragically died of SIDS.

So listen to the sermon with this background in mind. This is not some theologian speaking from the abstract. This is not an unrealistic bookish sermon on how it should be done. This is not the voice of the head speaking unlived knowledge.

This is the voice of the heart of a grieving grandfather, spoken from raw, fresh emotion of real-life grief and ‘why questions’, yet governed and comforted to restful peace by real-life trust and faith in the goodness of God.

If you have wondered what Mennonite preaching is like and yet have not gotten up the courage to visit one of our services… Here is your opportunity. You can listen in and eaves-drop from the privacy of your office, car, or home.

But however and wherever you choose to listen, I assure you that it will be more than just your curiosity which is fed. Maybe it will even help you to better understand the answer to one of life's toughest questions: The Why of Suffering.

And by all means, if this is helpful to you, please, as always with this blog, feel totally free to pass it on to your friends too. Freely we have received, freely we give.

And if you have further questions or thoughts, feel free to reach out by replying to this email. I’ll do my best to answer. We’d love to hear from you.

Blessings until next time!

Your Mennonite Christian farmer friend,

Edwin Shank

"Intensely striving to be... A follower of Jesus indeed... In whom there is no guile"

P.S. For a virtual peek into our daughter-in-law Jeanette's and her brother Lyndon's home, family, and church community in Guatemala during happier times, here is a photo journal of Rodrick and Jeanette’s wedding almost 12 years ago.

Feel free to forward this post to share with your friends. All are welcome to browse more of these recent Food for the Soul posts on our blog.