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“…let us exult, too, in our afflictions,
understanding that hardship develops perseverance, and perseverance develops
a tested character, something that gives us hope, and a hope which will not
let us down…”
--Romans
5:3-4
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Ah, this is hard. If you want to be
counter-cultural, try this. Exult in
your afflictions –boast of your hardships. Not in the woe is me, self-pitying
kind of way, but with a true understanding of their worth. Try it. Struggling at work? In your marriage? With
your faith? Feeling friendless? Ignored? Misunderstood? Oppressed? Overwhelmed
by health or financial woes? Do you wake up feeling like Job? Instead of cursing God and dying… exult in
your hardships! Rejoice in your afflictions. Ah… this is hard.
But that seems to be Paul’s advice
for building up character and gaining hope –a hope which will not let us
down. And yet, what does he actually
mean? Does he mean boasting of every affliction we suffer to our co-workers or
spouse or strangers on the bus? Is that how Paul would have us witness to the
glory of Christ? I don’t think so. I think he intends something else entirely. I think he means in your heart, in your
spirit, in your prayers –exult in your hardships, rejoice in your afflictions.
Thank God for the life you have been given –including the hardships.
None of us knows why we are called
to bear the crosses we bear. None of us
knows God’s plan or God’s will for our lives. We know God wills only good, and
we trust that God is with us, that Christ is with us always “even unto the end
of the world” (Mt. 28:20). But the thing that so often troubles us is that our
afflictions seem meaningless, at best, and –at worst—almost signs of our
distance from God. We may feel like Job,
but we think like his friends: that suffering is a sign of God’s
displeasure. But, what if it is as Paul
says here? What if that which feels like suffering to us is in actuality an
opportunity for exultation, for rejoicing. Not in a self-pitying or masochistic
way, but in a sincere and faith-filled way. What if the challenges God puts in
our lives, the difficulties and afflictions are the way our spirit and faith
are grown? What if that is how it feels to be stretched and opened up to
receive the “love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit”
(5:5b).
I don’t mean to imply that God is
“cruel to be kind,” (cf: Hamlet III.4 or Nick Lowe’s 1979 single), but that
growing in faith and love and hope might hurt. And, that part of the process of
growing in our faith and hope and love is learning to praise God for everything
we receive—to rejoice not just in the good, but even in our hardships. That in praying “Thy will be done…” we don’t actually mean only Thy will that feels comfortable and makes my family life easier. But, instead we truly pray “Thy will be
done…” because Thy will –whatever it
is, and however confusing and even frightening it may appear—Thy will is what is always to bless us. I
choose to submit to Thy will because
I put my trust in that blessing. In You, Oh Lord. Whatever You will for us is –in fact—a
blessing, oh Lord. And that is where I plant my hope. That is where I trust it
to grow. And I understand that growing pains can be hard to bear, but I will
rejoice in those hardships. Because I know that is how I will learn
perseverance, and that is how I will be tested, and that is how I will gain
hope. And all that is asked of us is a little joy. Rejoice! Open your heart. God
is waiting to fill you up.
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