Photo by Michael Dam on Unsplash
God showed me recently, it is good
when life works against me, because that is the only time I can respond in a
godly way.
I cannot respond in a godly way
when fortunes are good, when I’m being ‘blessed’, when I have nothing to
complain about. I can only respond as someone remotely connected to Christ when
things do not go my way.
Faith gives us the opportunity to do
our best when we are at our worst.
It’s not a foregone conclusion that
this is the case, for we still need to surrender ourselves before our God. But
the reason we can consider our trials and struggles as pure joy (see James
1:2-4) is they reveal God’s Spirit is in us via our humble responses. Struggle is
our opportunity.
It is only when I’m being maligned
by somebody that I can respond in such a foreign way as to be noticed as
somebody different — the answer for which is I live for God. This is when I
respond to absorb the hurt propelled against me. When I respond in kindly,
gentle grace, having only love to offer.
It is only when I feel justified to
complain, yet refrain, that I recognise the peace in accepting things as they
are. Accepting something seemingly impossible may involve a huge paradigm shift
and commitment, but it unveils something fundamental and basic. When the flesh folds,
the Spirit simply takes over. This is especially true when things are too tough
to respond to in the flesh. We stop fighting.
It is only when I’m struggling to
reconcile matters in my own mind and heart that I stand on the precipice of
faith. Faith is irrelevant and benign when life runs swimmingly.
It is only when my back is against
the wall that I take that very next step blindly, by faith.
We can consider our trials pure joy
only when we see that this is where God’s power lies.
If these difficult and dark
circumstances can’t kill our joy, then what can? Resolving to be content when
there is only discontent shows the entire world Who is inside us. We are
children of the living God!
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