John Watson was born in Manningtree, Essex (England). His uncle was a reverend in the Free Church of Scotland and John chose to follow in his uncle's footsteps, serving churches in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Cambridge.
Besides being an ordained minister in the Free Church of Scotland, John Watson was also a writer under the pen name Ian Maclaren. It was in the 1897 edition of The British Weekly that Maclaren penned the phrase: "Be pitiful, for every man is fighting a hard battle."
This quote is believed to be the genesis of the popular quote : "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about." This quote is attributed to Robin Williams, Philo, Plato, among others. Regardless of who said it, the sentiment is true. Each person you meet every day is facing something difficult in their lives, including the one you see in the mirror.
Sunday, Shawn talked about suffering and a Good God and how we should question our expectations of God before questioning God's goodness. As Shawn said "Jesus never promised a pain free life. In fact, just the opposite." While everyone we meet is going through something, we "can fix our eyes on Jesus who stepped into our pain and promises to give us peace."
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV): "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
-Jim Clark