Torch, Winter 1991

111111~-------------------------------------- by Dr. Paul Dixon President, Cedarville College ar rages in the Middle East. At home we suffer. There is the suffering of separa– tion from loved ones, family members , and friends . There is the suffer– ing of the uncertainty as to whether the soldiers will return. There is the suffering of being informed officially that some will not be coming back- -killed in combat--or of seeing the pictures of others as captives in Iraq. Our college family has been sobered by the realities of battle. At least two thirds of us have a family member or friend over there. Our chapel has a Wall of Prayer dotted with over two thousand names that have been written there for prayer support. Rabbi Harold Kushner in his book, When Bad Things Happ en to Good People , relates the account of Daniel Patrick Moynihan when he learned that President John F. Keill1edy had been shot. With tears running down his cheeks, he exclaimed, "When you are Irish, one thing you learn is that sooner or later this world will break your heart. " You don ' t have to be Irish to know that-– just human. Suffering is a part of life. This issue of Cedarville TORCH is devoted to the theme of suffering. Our authors have shared testimonies and biblical principles to help all of us understand that Christians experience pain and tears. God has a purpose in it all. In our daily chapels, when l have opportunit y to speak. there are some fundament:1J biblical principles that I want our college family to grasp. A major emphasis is that we are to be a caring family . Our world , our churches, and our families need people who genuinely care when we hurt. The Apostle Paul taught the Corinthians in his second epistle, chapter 1 and verse 4, that the God of all comfort "comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from Goel. " Those who have suffered have the opportunity and ability to be used of God "I have told our alumni and students that if they ever have a need the rest of their lives to call me collect, any time, any place. They do." ' ~J·Jv.J.J,fJ,JJ )) to help those who hurt in the same way. We must be transparent in our suffering. The parents whose wayward son has broken their hearts can be used most effec tively with another mother and fath er who are going down that same bumpy path . The person who has stood by the casket and felt such deep Joss and loneliness has un ending opportuni ties for ministry. When we face cancer or heart bypass surgery, we want to talk to someone who has been there and knows the physical and emotional suffering . Thomas Jefferson said, ..The art of life is the avoiding of pain ." Wrong! Dr. Paul Bnu1d , one of the world 's greatest hand surgeons and experts on leprosy, said, ..Thank Goel for pain!" Right on ! It is only as we hurt that we can help a suffering world.