Growth Hope

Everybody Hurts

“Life’s not fair.” This is a refrain with which we all familiar. It is likely that a parent or a teacher or a coach or somebody said these words to us at some point in our childhood. Depending on how old we are, we may have uttered them to somebody else. We have an innate desire for things to work out in a way that benefit us. Yet despite the fact that God is gracious and gives us more good things that we could ever deserve, in our moment of pain, we often neglect to recall His generosity and focus on the hurt that we are currently experiencing.

While there is some pain that we may never quite make sense of, Scripture tells us that there are at least two reasons that we suffer. Sometime we suffer because we are His and as God’s children, the forces of this world are diametrically opposed to us (John 15:18). Another reason that we suffer is because God is disciplining us. We’ve sinned and there are consequences for those rebellious actions (Hebrews 12:6). Sometimes, perhaps often times, the correction of our Father involves pain as He guides us back to a right relationship with Him.

However, I Peter 3:17 reminds us that while R.E.M was right and everybody does hurt sometimes, it is far better to suffer for the glory of God then as a result of His discipline. Jesus reminded us of this when, before healing the blind man, He stated that the reason for the man’s blindness was so that God could be glorified (John 9:1-3). Could you imagine the change of perspective that man had at the moment? Instead of seeing his blindness as a curse, it was an unique opportunity for God to use this man to draw others to Himself. In a way that few others could, this man could put God’s glory on display.

There is going to be pain in this life; we can be sure of that. However, may increasingly our pain not be as a result of God bringing us back to living a life that pleases Him, but may it used to bring others into a relationship with Him. May our aches and our cries be for the glory of the eternal King.

Everybody hurts, but not everyone suffers for Jesus’ sake. May we see our suffering for His sake as the privilege that it is.

Now it’s your turn…..how can we suffer well for Jesus?
Continue Reading

Being Content

Not A Single Day

When my dad passed away, I quickly learned how many people are uncomfortable with knowing what to say as people grieve. Although there were many encouraging remarks, some of the least helpful things that people said were variations on the theme that “time heals all wounds.” My experience has been that this is untrue. The shock of the loss may fade some, but there are still days that his absence catches me off guard. And there is not a single day that I don’t think of him and miss him. Not a single day.

However, in the midst of the daily recognition that I won’t see him again this side of Heaven, there is also the recognition that the reason why time doesn’t heal this wound is because of the wonderful dad that God blessed me with. The reasons that things hurt deeply is because we care deeply and my dad was purposeful about building a family marked by love. In this,  there is the acknowledgment that although there is much to miss, there is also much for which to be thankful. The only reason I can rightly evaluate what is absent is because I’ve experienced the bountiful gift that having my dad was.

I wish that this allowed me to also say that there is not a single day that I haven’t been filled with thanksgiving for the gifts that God has graciously bestowed upon me. Because of our sinful nature we are more apt to focus on what we don’t have rather than acknowledging the blessings in what we have been given, even if we don’t have it anymore. However, it has reminded me that for the Christian there should not be a single day that is reserved for giving thanks. Instead, gratitude should characterize our lives.

It’s easy to focus on what’s missing, what we don’t have, and our disappointments. However, instead of what’s lacking being the focus of our attention, we would do well to daily acknowledge the blessings that are ours, which we don’t deserve, and we’ve done nothing to earn. In doing so, may there not be a single day that isn’t filled with thanks.

 

Now it’s your turn….

How do you make sure to daily express gratitude for the blessings you’ve been given?

Continue Reading