Different as a Result

5.24.2010

Romans 5:3 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance… ESV

Looking back over my long and storied history of stupidity and brainless stunts, I think about where I am today and the lessons I’ve learned. Some have stuck and some I’ve had to repeat until this day. But when the apostle Paul speaks of sufferings and rejoicing over them I now think differently than I did before. And here’s what I think: suffering isn’t so bad because of what it produces in my life. With God and suffering there is an eternal goal in view that far surpasses the stress of my present sufferings.

Many are the days and ways that suffering showed up at the doorstep of my life and many are the ways I tried to avoid it because suffering hurts. But now I realize that suffering isn’t what I thought it was because God works in me through suffering and Paul tells me today that suffering is a change agent that produces noble things in my life like, endurance, character and hope – and, if I accept suffering properly I can see God’s love at the beginning of it; in its midst, and at its end. And my life will be different as a result. Thank You God!

I’ll steal this from Beth Moore who encourages us to think of the worst circumstance that could possibly happen in our life and come to the place where we accept that as a result of it, we’ll find God; what if…then God! Not a bad way to approach the Giver of all good Whose gifts sometimes show up in dreadful wrapping.

Father in Heaven,

You work through the suffering in my life to produce good things in me and though I can’t say I rejoice over suffering, I can say that I trust You more with the process and the products suffering produces. Lord God, from You I do have a destiny beyond the pain and whatever that looks like I understand it to be eternal gain and I thank You for what it takes in me to get me to surrender fully to Your will and Your heart – in Jesus, amen.