Building Faith Families with Steve Demme

David was not only a warrior, protecting his sheep from lions and bears, and the nation of Israel from Philistines and giants, he was also a worshiper. Where did he develop his skill with the lyre? When did he have time to write the hymns, aka psalms that we love today? Was he really alone in the desolate pastures of Israel, or was he deepening his relationship with his God?

David is described as a man after God’s heart. What made David special? Why did he spend so much time in the wilderness, as a shepherd and fleeing from Saul? What did he learn while caring for the sheep, alone? In this episode we will consider what we know from the record in scripture and see why God recorded this account of the formative years of David.

“Bear One Another’s Burden and so Fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

Having carried a burden has made my able to empathize with other’s pain. I am able to tune in to what people are feeling more than ever. My own issues have helped me to understand what my brothers and sisters are experiencing in a new way. I observe pain everywhere. When I see people in some form of addiction I don’t see the outward behavior as much as I am cognizant of internal pain and suffering. People do not hurt and abuse themselves for pleasure, there are reasons behind their actions. I am convinced that I may engage in the same behaviors if I had walked in their shoes and grown up in their circumstances. Addiction has many forms, society condemns some (drugs, alcohol, pornography) and rewards others (greed, power, success). But heartache and pain are often the reason why we do what we do. No one likes to hurt.

I find myself connecting with people in a deeper way because the one thing we all have in common is suffering. Whether we are battling our own issues, or bearing the burden of someone close to us that we care for, we all need encouragement and support. When I reached out to those 32 friends for help and bared my heart and asked for help, it freed them up to also share their own hurts and griefs. We were connecting at a heart level and bearing each other’s burdens in a healthy godly way. Bearing each other’s burdens and weeping with those who weep is Christianity at it’s best.

The reality of pain, while not on the same level as the gospel, has been a life changer for me. When I was in the throes of my personal crisis in 2012 I wanted the pain to cease and life to resume a semblance of normalcy. I wanted peace, which we all desire. No one likes to suffer, but we all will eventually in some form or another. If we are sinners only, then we will have a hard life. Proverbs 13:15 The way of transgressors is hard. (KJV)

If we have chosen to follow Jesus, we will still suffer, but with a purpose, with hope, and accompanied by the presence of God. I am not going to address the broad topic of suffering here, but I am going to focus on our personal struggle. I have rarely heard much teaching on this topic, but pain is all around us. It must be examined and addressed with God’s help.

Here is another red letter statement. The source of much of my hurt and distress in 2012 was seeing that because of my own baggage, my internal wounds, I was hurting the most important people in my life, my wife and sons. I think of my own secret scars from my past as toxic waste. When I am rested and in a good place, then this harmful material is safely contained in a lead container. But when I am not rested, working too hard, and stressed, the toxic matter leaks, and it damages those who are closest to me, my family.