pain & trials
March 18, 2012
Four more days! Life's full of countdowns. The countdown to graduation, breaks/vacations, tests, weddings, births, birthdays, etc. And the countdown to the end of treatment.
The past couple of months have allowed me much time to reflect and consider how different each life stage is, and what it is that truly matters in all situations that we encounter. Life is filled with blessings and sorrows, trials and periods of ease. I wouldn't ask for a lifetime of sorrow and pain; but I wouldn't ask for a lifetime of ease and comfort either. Ease and comfort leads to an inevitable shallowness in our lives. It is in pain and difficult circumstances that our true character shows and where our faith is tested for what it is.
More and more I'm realizing that our idea of success, happiness, comfort, and 'good' is not at all God's definition of those things. It's hard to get away from the world's standards of success and happiness -- it affects even churches! And it is just as hard to realize that actually the world's standards are not only too low, but, well, wrong. Sure, if we want the warm fuzzy feelings of happiness, the prescription ascribed by the world may get us that. But if we want the joy and the peace that gives us a sense of what the meaning and purpose of our lives are, and that fills our hearts with a contentment that does not rely on fading things, then we have to subject ourself to God's standards. Jesus Christ, the victory He has attained for us, and the promise that He will never leave us -- in light of these great facts, the world's promotion of success, happiness, and comfort pale as cheap wannabes.
We may not know the whys of pain, but all we need is to remember that God will not forsake or leave us. His constant presence in all our difficulties and uncertainties is the only hope and anchor we need. In all difficulties and trials, His grace and mercy is ever present and abundantly provided. His wisdom and love is poured out for us, giving us enough strength, comfort and encouragement to carry on each day. We are never forsaken. We have an Almighty God engineering each situation in His sovereignty and wisdom for the sole purpose of His glory through our transformation. He does not leave us too long in the fires of trials and pain, nor too short. Even in seeming darkness and loneliness, His eye is on us for our good and for our care. What great comfort! What great hope!
Four more days! Life's full of countdowns. The countdown to graduation, breaks/vacations, tests, weddings, births, birthdays, etc. And the countdown to the end of treatment.
The past couple of months have allowed me much time to reflect and consider how different each life stage is, and what it is that truly matters in all situations that we encounter. Life is filled with blessings and sorrows, trials and periods of ease. I wouldn't ask for a lifetime of sorrow and pain; but I wouldn't ask for a lifetime of ease and comfort either. Ease and comfort leads to an inevitable shallowness in our lives. It is in pain and difficult circumstances that our true character shows and where our faith is tested for what it is.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1)In trials and pain, we often ask 'why' though we already know that the 'why's of pain do not lead to an obvious answer. God never answered Job's questions of 'whys'; instead He pointed Job to His immeasurable wisdom, glory, power, and majesty. In difficult and seemingly unfair circumstances, we all probably have similar questions, but instead we ought to fix our attention on the insurpassable measure of wisdom, glory, power, and majesty of our God and Savior. In light of His greatness, these pains are but temporary. In light of His wisdom and sovereignty, these pains are not some accident or coincidence. It hurts yes, and we wish the difficulties and uncomfortableness would just go away, but God loves us too much to put our comfort and happiness over our transformation into His likeness.
More and more I'm realizing that our idea of success, happiness, comfort, and 'good' is not at all God's definition of those things. It's hard to get away from the world's standards of success and happiness -- it affects even churches! And it is just as hard to realize that actually the world's standards are not only too low, but, well, wrong. Sure, if we want the warm fuzzy feelings of happiness, the prescription ascribed by the world may get us that. But if we want the joy and the peace that gives us a sense of what the meaning and purpose of our lives are, and that fills our hearts with a contentment that does not rely on fading things, then we have to subject ourself to God's standards. Jesus Christ, the victory He has attained for us, and the promise that He will never leave us -- in light of these great facts, the world's promotion of success, happiness, and comfort pale as cheap wannabes.
We may not know the whys of pain, but all we need is to remember that God will not forsake or leave us. His constant presence in all our difficulties and uncertainties is the only hope and anchor we need. In all difficulties and trials, His grace and mercy is ever present and abundantly provided. His wisdom and love is poured out for us, giving us enough strength, comfort and encouragement to carry on each day. We are never forsaken. We have an Almighty God engineering each situation in His sovereignty and wisdom for the sole purpose of His glory through our transformation. He does not leave us too long in the fires of trials and pain, nor too short. Even in seeming darkness and loneliness, His eye is on us for our good and for our care. What great comfort! What great hope!
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