Since my baptism, it's been a little rough. Pastor Johnston warned us of this, that Satan would be there to mess with us. But as Peter says (1 Peter 1:6-7), this must happen to see if our faith is pure. "... Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (v. 18) However great our suffering may be (remember St. Bart from Alex Phillips' sermon?), our suffering now is negligible in comparison to the freedom that comes from being released from sin and standing in God's glory (v.18-21).
But for now, while we're still struggling, I'm thankful that God gives me hope. Though we have to suffer, God doesn't just let me suffer alone. My friend's pastor used to help out a bit in my school fellowship. Once, someone asked him why God let people suffer. Usually, people just say that suffering helps us grow & suffering entered the world when Adam sinned, and so, is from man, not God. Both of these points are valid, but Chris (my friend's pastor) also pointed out something else: when we suffer, we relate to Jesus a little more. When He was on the cross, Jesus felt all of mankind's sin and suffering. Our own suffering is a little glimpse of what Jesus felt on the cross. God lets us suffer so that we can understand Him more and grow closer to Him. And more, when I give Him my burdens, He carries them for me.
And like a mother in labour, anxiously and painfully waiting through each contraction for the birth of her child (v.22), we wait through these times of adversity for our redemption. Time always seems to slow down when we're in pain (if you're interested, (I think) it's b/c of the sympathetic nervous system :D). But it's also during this time of suffering that we have hope in Christ.
In the words of Christopher Reeves, "Don't give up. Don't sell out. Don't lose hope."
Sonia
No comments:
Post a Comment