It has been said that at the start of every friendship are the words me too.”- Matt Bays
“Friendship . . . is born at the moment when one man says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .”- C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
In Chapter 9 (“Me Too- You Are Not Alone”) of Finding God in the Ruins, Matt Bays notes that the word glory often is defined as “the silent existence” or “the unspoken manifestation of God.” The Greek word for glory, doxa, is used to convey God’s intrinsic worth or core value. Pastor Bays applies this to our brokenness:
“So not only is the glory of God revealed in our brokenness, in the ruins of our lives, in those things we can’t figure out, get right, or seem to overcome, but his core value is at its absolute highest when we are at our absolute lowest. The silent existence of God is alive in my brokenness, when his power is not simply present but ‘made perfect.’ ”
What, Matt asks, if God is calling us to something and for something that He needs us to make right in the world? God’s glory, made perfect in our weakness, could bring what is dead in others back to life. There still may be unanswered questions, but Matt doesn’t think we really are looking for answers anyway:
“I think we’re looking for grace- enough so we can manage the pain. And answers are not grace; they’re just information. Empathy is grace. Company is grace. ‘Me too.’ That’s grace.”
Today’s question (from Matt): When you consider C. S. Lewis’ quote, how are you this kind of person to people? What are some ways you could take it even further? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Drawn into His love”
