For A Dear Friend - Tommy
June 13th, 2006 at 11:25 pm by Dee O'Neil Andrews
We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer. The only profitable relationship to others - and especially to our weaker brethren - is one of love, and that means the will to hold fellowship with them. God himself did not despise humanity, but became man for men's sake.
I've long been a "fan" of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), a young Lutheran theologian from Germany. He is credited with the origin of the term "the death of God," or as we came to call it back in the 60's, "God is Dead," from some of his writings while imprisoned by the Nazis in WWII. But if you read his letters and papers from prison during that time I think you will find that his views, feelings, and actions were much different from that stark phrase "God is dead."
I was greatly moved by his letters and papers when I read them many years ago and typed up (I said, many years ago) a poem that he wrote while in prison he titled "Stations on the Road to Freedom," which I offer here a little further below.
Bonhoeffer's "Letters and Papers From Prison" were gathered by others to publish, because you see - the Nazis not only imprisoned this young man, they hauled him and others out and hanged them on April 9, 1945 as the Allies were overtaking Germany. What struck most and deeply impressed me were his every day actions during the last years of his life as a prisoner.
I wore my book out several years ago and very reluctantly threw it away not too long ago when most of the pages fell out. So I was pleased when a colleague of Tom's who knew of my fondness for Bonhoeffer sent home to me several long months ago a stack of Bonhoeffer's works, including the newly revised compilation of his letters and papers from prison the last years of his young life.
I had those writings out on our end table and had started reading it yet again when I came across the quote I started with above and was so taken with it that I sat and typed it out, too, and copied it over here for just the right occasion. That occasion has arrived here and now and so I offer it to you all.
You read it above, maybe in passing, eager (I know!) to get to the "point" of this blog post. Well, friends, the quote is it. That is the point here late on a Tuesday evening, June 13, 2006. We should think of each other's suffering rather than what each "does" or "doesn't do." Period.
We all have our burdens. We all suffer. Even the most "blaise" and "sophisicated" among us. Among us Christians and non-Christians, alike. We all suffer, we all have our burdens. God knew that. That's why he sent His Son. The Word. The Light. Our Redeemer.
So remember dear Tommy, and all of you who read this who may have "problems" with each other in our joint walk toward Heaven, that Christ himself came down from heaven to live among us mere mortals to teach us a better way. To love. To love each other no matter what. Whether friend of foe, whether we are of one mind or of divergent minds. We all suffer many things in this life and we all seek to be loved. As God and Christ loved us.
Here are the stations on the road to freedom as young Dietrich Bonhoeffer experienced them:
STATIONS ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM
Discipline
If you set out to seek freedom, then learn above all things
to govern your soul and your senses, for fear that your passions
and longing may lead you away from the path you should follow.
Chaste be your mind and your body, and both in subjection,
obediently, steadfastly seeking the aim set before them;
only through discipline may a man learn to be free.
Action
Daring to do what is right, not what fancy may tell you,
valiantly grasping occasions, not cravenly doubting -
freedom comes only through deeds, not through thoughts taking wing.
Faint not nor fear, but go out to the storm and the action,
trusting in God whose commandment you faithfully follow;
freedom, exultant, will welcome your spirit with joy.
Suffering
A change has come indeed. Your hands, so strong and active,
are bound; in helplessness now you see your action
is ended; you sigh in relief, your cause committing
to stronger hands; so now you may rest contented.
Only for one blissful moment could you draw near to touch
freedom;
then, that it might be perfected in glory, you gave it to God.
Death
Come now, thou greatest of feasts on the journey to freedom
eternal;
death, cast aside all the burdensome chains, and demolish
the walls of our temporal body, the walls of our souls that are
blinded,
so that at last we may see that which here remains hidden.
Freedom, how long we have sought thee in discipline, action, and
suffering;
dying, we now may behold thee revealed in the Lord.
Thanks for doing something more than skimming the surface! Your posts always make me think. For that I am grateful!! Blessings to you dearly loved sister, whose walk is clearly one of love, -bill
Dee,
Thanks so much for this post. Bonhoeffer never fails to meet me where I am and challenge me.
Frank
thank you Dee.
Thanks, Dee, for the comments on my blog. You are so sweet! My husband and I were discussing the tile issue again a few days ago, and he read somewhere that grout can come up when the house is settling. It isn’t bad–only in one or two spots–so I guess I overreacted! So go for tile!
I am glad we finally “know” each other!
Hi Dee,
Sorry it has taken me a few days to find this post, but not so sorry because this morning is probably the first time I’ve had time to give it the attention that it deserves. Thanks for a post tht I couldn’t rush through. It’s one of those things that probably hits everyone whereever they are, but was especially meaningful to me in the loss of a friend (see my “Clay Pot Journal” post).
Blessings,
Anthony
I hope many, many people find this post and read it slowly.
Thanks Dee.
Thanks Dee for your thoughts for TS. He is special to me too!