Sometimes
Ned says this quote by John Piper. I never personally heard it, and this is a
loose retelling of something heard second hand, but John Piper said something
like this:
If we had an inkling of the
amount of suffering that occurs in the world in the span of one day we would
literally want to tear our skin off.
Ned began his field training
today. That means 10 weeks of hit or miss visits. Originally we were told not
to expect to see each other at all for 10 weeks. Now we know that it MIGHT be
more often, but it probably won’t be very much. I spent several days crying,
being sad, and generally feeling sorry for myself. Housework went by the
wayside and sadness and came into the forefront. This morning, however, I
decided to stop being sad and started being awesome instead.
Okay, so maybe not exactly like that.
But I did wake up and wash part of my dishes. And I did wake up thinking about
suffering and the role it plays in our lives. I’ve thought about that a lot
since Ned started this field training. I don’t enjoy things that are difficult
and I don’t enjoy being anything except, well, happy. I do enjoy, however,
growing closer to the Lord. I also enjoy becoming a stronger person through God
and through the circumstances of my life.
James
says:
Consider
it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you
know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance
finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James
1: 2-4
Peter
says:
In
all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to
suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven
genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even
though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus
Christ is revealed. – Peter 1: 6
-7
Paul
says:
I
consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory
that will be revealed in us.
Romans
8:8
 |
| Honeymoon 2009 |
Everyone
in this life suffers. Sometimes I hear about the lives of people I know and I
grow weary and sad and wish I could make things better for them. But, I think
Christ is continually revealing that our present circumstances are not our
final resting place. Though God does not desire for us to suffer, he does
desire for us to grow in Him. And he does desire for us to come home to Him –
to our mansion with many rooms.
