Pain and suffering. If I could
choose any two words to remove from the dictionary, it would be those two. These
are two words we know all too well. Our definitions may not be identical, but
they all involve hurt. I have experienced the death of a grandma, cousin,
fellow band member, and Sociology professor to sickness and a childhood friend
to suicide. Rarely does a day go by that I do not think of one of them. Even as I write this post, I am at a very difficult point in my life. I am struggling through grad school, feeling the weight of singleness, and all while searching for a church home. Yet, I am
faced with the realization that this does not
compare with people that live in the ghettos of the United States. These are
people that have to worry about how they are going to get home from school or work
without getting shot. Or what about that suburban mom who goes home for fear of
what her husband might do to her because she was two minutes later than he
wanted her to be? It is no surprise that people all over the world are
wondering how God could love them and care about their daily
trials and tribulations.
No pain, no gain. What does that
even mean? We often relate this cliché to losing weight or graduating from
school. But could it be that there is more to it? If at first you don’t succeed
try, try again. What about the little Engine that could? Let me tell you
something. EVERYONE will be knocked down at some point in their life. However,
your fall does not dictate who you are. It is whether or not you stand up
again. Romans 5 says that suffering produces perseverance which yields
character which generates hope. So, are you in the middle of suffering? Do you
feel hopeless? You must persevere! In doing so, you will become a woman or man
of character. You are not born with
character, but you must be resilient so that it may be grown in you.
Easier said than done. When
someone is hurting, persevere is one of the last pieces of advice that they want
to hear. No matter how much you tell yourself that everything will be alright,
part of you still blames God. Let me paint the picture that gave me a reality
check. Imagine that you are on your way to work and someone cuts you off.
Later, you have the opportunity to let someone in front of you and notice that
rude road rager was delayed and now wants to get over so that they can exit.
What do you do? Let’s take it to the other extreme. You must choose between
sacrificing your son and a known jewel thief. Who would you choose? God said, “I choose my son.” In doing so, he
was able to save the thief and all the criminals that come after him. In this
case, you and I are the criminals. That is why we should persevere because God saved
US while we were still sinners. We deserve death for the envy, anger, lust, and
hatred that we have stored up in our hearts. But instead he showers us with
love and gives us the Holy Spirit so we can feel how deep His love really is.
Non-Reciprocal love. Would you love someone that ignored you?
Could you love someone that spit on you every time you gave them a gift? Should
you love someone that says that he or she hates you whenever someone else wrongs them? We must stop
trying to put God in a box that fits with what we think we need. We say we want
free will, but we also beg God to stop people from sinning. At the end of the
day, no matter neither how much you are suffering, nor how much pain you have
experienced; God is waiting for you to say that you need him. He wants to
reconcile, redeem, and restore what has been lost. That hole that you feel can
be filled. And that hope that you lost will be found. You are more than a
conqueror through Christ Jesus.
Written By: Ariel Anib
This was written after reading Romans 5:
Peace and Hope
5 Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have
gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in
the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory
in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance,
character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to
shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right
time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very
rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone
might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been
justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath
through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were
reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled,
shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but
we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now
received reconciliation.
