Our present sufferings are not worth comparing
with the glory that will be revealed in us. --Romans
8:18
The question often arises, "Are Christians supposed
to suffer, to experience difficult times, and generally to find themselves
unhappy?" Pain and suffering are realities common to all of
mankind. The believer and unbeliever alike suffer outwardly from nature,
the physical body, or from others, but a believer does not have to
experience destructive inward suffering such as that which plagues those
who do not know Christ. Christians have suffered calamities common to
everyone in the world but not necessarily reacted in a like manner, whether with
depression, anger, frustration, or discouragement. Life seems to
deal its blows without partiality, and yet response is varied, depending on the
inner attitude of the sufferers. It has been said that what becomes of us
in the long run depends upon what life finds in us! Suffering leaves some bitter
and others sweet! In the mountains it is not uncommon to see a half-dead aspen
tree. The sun that shines on all of the branches brings increased life to some
and quickened decay to the others, depending on what is inside the branch. Like
the sun, suffering leaves some persons withered and weak while others, because
of the life within, are stronger and more prepared for any amount of
suffering.
I remember discipling two women, each one suffering
at the hand of an unfaithful husband who sought to justify his behavior by
picking his wife apart. One woman became absolutely radiant through her
suffering, for she found Christ to be her ally and her all; the other became
bitter and, to be honest, quite ugly as her inward stress disfigured her. Two
women undergoing the same event displayed different reactions. One possessed an
inner life that had met rejection and overcome with love; the other had not
drawn from the source of her inner life and had been overcome by the rejection.
As a believer, I cannot always determine what happens to me, but I can
direct how it will affect me. If I am driven to reliance on the
Lord, then the event will make me happy and more useful, bringing me to a fuller
life. Events of life can either make me common or spiritually
alive. I need never deal with pain on a human level; I bring God
into my pain, for He can take what appears to be senseless suffering and turn it
into a fountain of spiritual life. Suffering can have its roots in evil,
but the issue is not really the basis from which it came but where it is
permitted to take me.Placing God in the center of pain allows Him
to guide me to deeper life. The cross is the perfect example of
God-guided pain, where great suffering became life, not only to Christ, but also
to millions.
Michael draws our attention to that “inner life” (the
Life of Christ) that provides the wherewithal to be the “overcomer” that God
tells me I am. That word, “overcomer,” is a beautiful term, isn’t it?!?
Oh, that we would always remember: “As a believer, I
cannot always determine what happens to me, but I can direct how it will affect
me.” Whew!!! Wow!!! Would to God that He would make that one of the first
thoughts that crosses my mind every time I encounter one of those moments/events
that try to bring “destructive inward suffering.”
I would suggest we need to “soak” on the last 7
sentences of Michael’s writing today, over and over and over. The result:
“spiritually alive!”
- Mike Wells
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