No on can escape life's storms. Our goodness or our faith cannot insulate us from the common experiences of life. Tragic events come into our lives regardless of who we are. And they sometimes strike so suddenly. Arthur John Gossip, the renowned Scottish minister of another generation, preached his famous sermon, "When Life Tumbles in, What Then?" the Sunday after the sudden death of his wife. That is always the question, "What Then?" How do we survive the crisis? My first suggestion is that we survive by affirming who we are in the midst of the storm. Paul Tillich, the theologian, in his book The Courage to Be set forth the view that the "ultimate courage is to affirm our being against all the threats of nonbeing." That sounds terribly academic. The reality, however, is what we face every day. The forces of non-being confront us saying, "You are nobody-- you don't have a right to exist." To affirm who you are as a child of God is the greatest power we have to resist such threats. There is a story about a Zen priest in China when the warlords were plundering villages at the early part of the 20th century. When this particular village heard that the warlord was headed toward them, all of the people fled to the hills--except one priest. When the warlord arrived, he inquired if any one was left in the village. The answer was, "Only the priest in the temple." The warlord commanded, "Bring him to me." When the priest was brought into his presence, the warlord drew his sword and cried, "Do you know who I am? I am he who can run you through with this sword and never bat an eye." The Zen priest gave his reply, "Do you know who I am? I am he who can be run through with your sword and never bat an eye." I wish I had that kind of self-assurance to face up to the threats in my life, don't you? I am not there yet, but I am trying to get there.
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