Thriving in the Face of Adversity: Overcoming Losses
► Are you familiar with the Japanese art of "Kintsugi"?
When a vase or a vessel breaks, the Japanese don't just throw it away. They collect the shards and glue them back together, filling the cracks and gaps with gold. This creates a unique piece of art: More valuable than before!
The Bible is full of stories that at the end turned into a unique piece of art. I want to briefly delve into one of these stories.
2. The story of Naomi: (see the Book of Ruth)
► How much loss and pain can a person endure without becoming bitter?
· Loss of dreams
· Loss of homeland "House of Bread"
· Loss of husband
· Loss of sons
· Loss of hope?
· Loss of grace?
► How did Naomi respond?
1. "She sets out...!" She does not sit in her distress but sets out on her way, back to her homeland, back to her calling, back to the "House of Bread" (Bethlehem)!
2. Naomi blesses! She speaks a blessing over her two daughters-in-law. She does not cling. She wishes that the Lord may show them grace.
3. "HESED" This is the central theme of the Book of Ruth: "Hesed," the undeserved grace and kindness of God. The Hebrew word for grace means that someone with power shows mercy and kindness to someone powerless. This kindness is given not out of obligation but out of love. The story of Naomi and Ruth illustrates God's desire to bless us and shower us with His goodness. He works behind the scenes, even when things seem like coincidences to us. God is in control even when we are disobedient or stray from His will and mission. God can write straight on crooked lines and create a masterpiece out of broken pieces.
4. The story of Naomi teaches us: Every decision has consequences! We are the result of our decisions, not victims of circumstances. Naomi's decision became a turning point in her life. The two daughters-in-law also made decisions. Orpah decides to stay in her homeland. Ruth, however, chooses the "harder" path, showing strength of character. She leaves behind the past, including all traditions, habits, and gods, and chooses the God of Israel. "Your God will be my God!" The blessing awaiting her is beyond her wildest dreams.
5. When lament turns to praise: "Don't call me NOOMI (= Delight, Pleasant), call me MARA (= Bitter, Afflicted)" The Pleasant returns as the Bitter. In her complaint against God, she does not yet see the blessings God has already given and will continue to give through Ruth. Bitterness clouds vision and makes us blind to God's gifts and blessings. God, however, can handle our complaints and bitterness. By the end of the Book of Ruth, this lament turns into praise.
► God wants to turn our mourning into joy, just as He did with Naomi and Ruth. They returned to Bethlehem, the House of Bread, empty-handed. There, they experienced how God nourished them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Ruth received a "REDEEMER," a God-fearing man, and became a mother, while Naomi became a grandmother: Obed (v. 22), who became the great-grandfather of King David. Thus, Ruth receives a place in the lineage of the Messiah, the Redeemer.
6. What does God want to say to me today?
I understand that God wants to give me a place in His lineage, regardless of my past, my broken pieces, and my family background. The only thing He expects from me is an obedient, humble, sincere, trusting heart, like Ruth's. Like her, we can declare our faith in the God of Israel, and HE will restore us and nourish our souls with HIS bread. Jesus is the BREAD of the WORLD, the Messiah who was born in the HOUSE of BREAD. He says of Himself: I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE! Whoever comes to me will be truly satisfied! I will not only fill their hearts but also their hands! (see John 6:48)
► Image of the pearl: Every gemstone, every pearl, every piece of art, every song with lasting value is the result of a process of pain, pressure, heat. God allows these refining processes in our lives to make us nobler and refine our character until we and others can see HIS visage in ours. My story too is a story of undeserved GRACE.
►Thinking about a LOSS in your Life - Which loss experience does the REDEEMER want to turn into joy and blessing?
This reminds me of my Grandfather, Heinrich Dürksen. He is a role model and hero for me, an example of how loss turned into blessing and restoration.
Born on 18 May 1910 in Emiljanowka near the Terek Colony, Dürksen was part of a family of Moscow refugees who emigrated to Germany in 1929 and then to Paraguay in 1930. They had lost all of their material possessions, and even some family members.
Once in Paraguay, he married Sara Kroeker in the Fernheim Colony on 25 October 1932, and they had ten children, with their eldest, Willy, dying in childhood.
He was the chief mayor (Oberschulze) of the Fernheim Colony, Paraguay, serving from 1949-1958, 1962-1971, and 1977-1979. He was also a leader in missions to the indigenous people and supported church unity among the three Mennonite conferences there.
The pioneer life in Paraguay was challenging. Two of his major concerns were the economic survival and educational system of the colony.
In 1953, he, among others, toured Canada and the US to raise funds for the colony’s production system, including purchasing machinery. He championed sending young people overseas for higher education, aiming for them to return and enhance the colony’s education system. Despite initial resistance, this initiative eventually gave Fernheim a competitive edge in the Chaco region.
His relentless dedication often meant sacrificing time with his family, a personal loss he wished he could have avoided.
He passed away in Fernheim on 29 August 2001 as a civic leader, who during challenging times, helped the Mennonites adapt and thrive economically and socially after their escape from the Soviet Union to an unfamiliar desert climate.
His dedication, sacrifice and example leaves a legacy for me, a role model worthy to follow. He invested his life for so many.
My purpose is to honor his life and legacy by finding purpose in spite of loss and pain and helping others to do the same.
Watch this video with some historical information to my personal background:
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