Perhaps it may turn out a sang,
Perhaps turn out a sermon.

-- R. Burns Epistle to a Young Friend

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Perspective



O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. -- Isaiah 54:11


When we are in the midst of any trial or difficulty – shoot, life in general, the old daily grind, it’s sometimes hard to imagine that it will ever change or get better.  Whether it is the sleep-deprived parents of a newborn, a victim of abuse and oppression, a soldier in a war zone, someone struggling with disease and ill-health, a person in severe financial straits, or any other prolonged difficulty, we may begin to think that our trial will never end.  We will be miserable and beaten-down, sick and grieving until we die. 

The bad news is that sometimes our trials do end only when we pass from this life.  The good news is there is no such thing as a dead Christian because, as Jesus said, everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die (John 11:26).  Yes, I know I’ve gone to church with some, too, but you notice He qualifies it by saying they have to be alive to begin with. 

I have no real reason to complain about my life – not that that’s ever stopped me.  I’m sometimes overworked and tired, and I’m getting old.  I don’t get to spend as much time with the grandkids as I would like.  I don’t get to ride my motorcycle as much as I would like.  I don’t get to fish as much as I would like.  Things don’t always turn out the way I would like.  This country elected Barack Obama twice.  There were 112 episodes of “Eight is Enough” and 13 episodes of “Firefly”.  As Jubal Early might say, Does that seem right to you?

It’s all pretty minor stuff against infinity and eternity.  The compensation God promises is really all out of proportion to the transit sufferings of even a lifespan of a hundred years.  You could argue that I’m not really qualified to make that statement.  I’ve never been in much physical pain for more than a few hours, but I have been afflicted, “storm-tossed and not comforted”, and I would say that most of us have been or will be.  Perhaps the reason I have not been tried to the extreme that others have is because I could not stand up under more pressure and strain.  If someone else has endured more, they are better able to endure it.  This, too, is a promise of which I must remind myself often:  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).  

5 comments:

John Lien said...

The compensation God promises is really all out of proportion to the transit sufferings of even a lifespan of a hundred years.

I do try to keep that in mind. You can't really say that to somebody who is suffering, it wouldn't be helpful or taken in the right way.

However, it is true.

John Lien said...

There were 112 episodes of “Eight is Enough” and 13 episodes of “Firefly”. As Jubal Early might say, Does that seem right to you?

Proof right there that the World is ruled by dark forces.

mushroom said...

Right, when I'm in the middle of some loss or pain, it's hard to care much about future rewards. I just want it to go away. Most of us are wired such that we can't make sense of suffering until we are through it.

My wife and I were in the car tonight, and she was talking about Robin Williams. He was rich and famous, why would he kill himself?

I said, Unless a person has been through depression, it is hard to understand. I have pretty much everything I want, and, yet when I'm in depression, that only makes it worse. I have all this, and I'm not happy. Is there something wrong with me or is life just totally meaningless?

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Thanks for the encouraging message today, Mushroom.
I hope and pray that depression, long term depression anyways will become an affliction of the past, sooner rather than later.
It can surely be as debilitating and deadly as cancer, AIDS or any other major disease.

It is also my fervent hope that your wife and you tangibly feel the effects of our prayers as I have so deeply felt yours.
God bless you both.

mushroom said...

Thank you, Ben.