Today is Martin Luther King Day, 2011. I have the day off, but after waking up around 5, I knew that I would not be sleeping in today. There had been a couple of posting ideas brewing in my head last week so, I’ll try and share one of them today and another later.
The first thought came from “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” from Romans chapter five.
I have several close friends who have gone through some really difficult times. Because I love them, it hurts to see them go through this. I want to say something, anything, but I feel awkward so I often remain quiet and simply listen. I really have no idea how it feels for them right now. But, I have had two dark periods in my life so, even though I do not know how they feel, I am familiar with how suffering hurts.
I think that Paul, the author of the verse, is encouraging us to look beyond our current state to what comes after. Because even though right now it is hurting both physically and mentally, God will redeem this by producing within us something that otherwise would not have been possible: a new character – a new us.
This would not be the path I would chose. But this does not mean that God cannot redeem this path of suffering, hurt and loss and exchange the ashes for beauty.
This gives me hope.
“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope" – Dr. Martin Luther King.
2 comments:
Great insight: "I think that Paul, the author of the verse, is encouraging us to look beyond our current state to what comes after." That's spot on, and the hardest part to get a grip on in the middle of it, too.
Exactly. Paul encourages us to "rejoice" in our sufferings. This seems to run counter to how we actually feel when we are in the thick of the situations.
Post a Comment