In his book Life Signs, Henri Nouwen says that most of our world plans and prepares based on the question[1]—What if?
The stock market collapses
A terrorist attacks
I get sick from another virus or outbreak
The tariffs affect the church’s budget
These are essential questions, but a life continually ordered by wondering “what if?” leaves us afraid. Instead, Christians understand that life is full of contingencies. Believers ask, “How will I respond when suffering happens?” Because we believe that Jesus is Lord, Christians learn to respond to the pressures of life.
Peter and Paul discovered that their time in prison became a laboratory to learn firsthand about living in a “what if” world. They learned to surrender their need to control the future. They didn’t catastrophize their circumstances and think of “worst-case” scenarios. They also didn’t choose to become victims of Herod or the Romans. Instead, they viewed their imprisonment as a sign of strength, not weakness. A church under pressure is a sign of a strong parish.
[1] Henri Nouwen, Lifesigns: Intimacy, Fecundity, and Ecstasy in Christian Perspective. (Garden City. N.Y.: Doubleday, 1986), 15-18.