Witness - Billy Minshall

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18

Witnessing someone else’s suffering through the lens of the Holy Spirit is part of Christianity. To come alongside someone and say “I see this, I see you, this is wrong, but I am here, God is present and you are loved. I will help you carry this burden.”

But Is that what it means to bear witness? And if so, is that enough? Is it sufficient?

As I understand it, being a witness is also about showing up in the world as a force for good. Full disclosure: I really don’t want to do that. Most of the time, I want to wish away the scary things of the world. I want to banish all of the hard truths. But that is just not possible. Because inside of me there is a pull to do something and for me, that pull is the Holy Spirit. 

Looking at Paul’s words in the verse above gives me some hope. His reference to the “present time” was from his vantage point, roughly 2000 years ago. This means that everything that we experience here and now has already happened. Is that encouraging? Not exactly. Is it a relief? In a way, yes. It tells me that suffering has always been, but that it has also been overcome! 

In sharing these words with us, Paul bears witness. His words give us hope. So, I too must bear witness and offer hope—whatever that may look like for me.