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 On the Front Lines: Loving the "No Longer People"
by Byron Ware
God hates the environment Betty* was in last week (cf. Malachi 2:16). There is as much emotional pain where she spent the week, as physical pain at a hospital. Randy Thomas works as a volunteer chaplain in Fort Worth, Texas for Tarrant County Family Courts. He sees people like Betty and the toll that divorce takes on individuals, children, families, and communities every day. Randy does his work for what he calls the “no longer” people. He explains the “No Longer People” with a quote from the Old Testament, Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep No longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. (Isaiah 30:18,19 NASB) Randy sees a lot of people that weep in Tarrant County, about 800 divorces every week. One person Randy spent time counseling with last week was Betty. Betty was telling Randy how concerned she was for her children. You see, Betty was testifying in a court case about the woman who was having an affair with her husband. This was in the divorce case against the “other woman” and the “other woman’s” husband. She still has to go through the courts again for her own divorce; one affair, and two very broken families.
Randy knows very well how married couples go from “I do” to “I don’t” and he has put together a chart that we will examine in my next article. This chart is the best I have seen on explaining how couples end up in the family courts. But for this article, we want to pause and remind each other about “No Longer People” and the love of God. So, who are the ones that God longs to stop weeping in your community? When was the last time you sought them out? If Jesus loves the “No Longer People” does you’re your church? Do you? Let’s make a commitment to do what Jesus did, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, let’s love them, too. After all, we may need to know the love of being a “No Longer” person, too!
Title: "On the Front Lines: Loving the "No Longer People"" Author: Byron Ware Publication Date: October 1, 2002 |
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