Obedience Through Suffering
Life is difficult. . . really very little more than an endless series of problems. Do we want to moan and groan about them or face them? Do we want to teach the next generation the disciplines involved in accepting and solving them or encourage them to run and hide from them? . . .
The tragedy, of course, is that the substitute itself ultimately becomes more painful than the "legitimate suffering" it was trying to avoid. And, adding insult to injury, the avoidance of legitimate suffering means we also avoid the growth that problems demand on us. Our determination to push pain away instead of meeting it head on creates a vicious circle.
Could this explain why God's wisest saints are often people who endure pain rather than escape it? Like their Savior, they are men and women "acquainted with grief." I recall that Jesus "learned obedience from the things which he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8), not in spite of those things.
Do you have a problem? You're smiling back at me. "A problem? Would you believe several dozen problems?" If you listen to the voices around you, you'll search for a substitute - an escape route. You'll miss the fact that each one of those problems is a God-appointed instructor ready to stretch you and challenge you and deepen your walk with Him. Growth and wisdom await you at the solution of each one, the pain and mess notwithstanding.
-From Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life by Charles Swindoll; part of The Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version by Max Lucado
Because of Jesus, you can ask God to meet your needs.
The tragedy, of course, is that the substitute itself ultimately becomes more painful than the "legitimate suffering" it was trying to avoid. And, adding insult to injury, the avoidance of legitimate suffering means we also avoid the growth that problems demand on us. Our determination to push pain away instead of meeting it head on creates a vicious circle.
Could this explain why God's wisest saints are often people who endure pain rather than escape it? Like their Savior, they are men and women "acquainted with grief." I recall that Jesus "learned obedience from the things which he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8), not in spite of those things.
Do you have a problem? You're smiling back at me. "A problem? Would you believe several dozen problems?" If you listen to the voices around you, you'll search for a substitute - an escape route. You'll miss the fact that each one of those problems is a God-appointed instructor ready to stretch you and challenge you and deepen your walk with Him. Growth and wisdom await you at the solution of each one, the pain and mess notwithstanding.
-From Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life by Charles Swindoll; part of The Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version by Max Lucado
Because of Jesus, you can ask God to meet your needs.
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