"Let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator" (1 Peter 4:19). Suffering builds trust in God. "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word" (Psa 119:67). Suffering corrects. "To you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me" (Php 1:29-30). Suffering assists in identifying with Christ and our fellow believers. I love this one.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Cor 1:3-4)That is, when we suffer afflictions, we become ... experts, so to speak. We gain a ministry, if you will. We can say to someone else going through what we did, "I know how it feels" and "This is what God did for me."
In the end, we can be absolutely sure of two things. Like Joseph told his brothers, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen 50:20). Whether the "evil" is human-caused or not and whether the event was intentional or accidental, we can be sure "God meant it for good." Second, we know what good. "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren" (Rom 8:28-29). He's always in the process of conforming us to the image of His Son. That's why it's "good to those who love God" ... because it's good to us to be shaped into Christ's image. What is God doing? The very best for us ... even when we don't know what or why. Will you trust Him for it?
When something happens in my life that I don’t like and I ask God “Why??” it is usually followed by, “Don’t You love me?” I have learned to answer myself instantly with “Of course You do. This is from Your loving hand. What else would it be?” May I not question Him to begin with but remember His higher purpose for me (it’s that “Mindful Me” vs. “Forgetful Me” dialog I mentioned the other day). (However, if the Lord has not chosen me to become one of those “experts” on suffering you mention, I’m OK with that. ;)
ReplyDeleteChristianity alone gives hope for all the evil in this world. Any other religion or worldview simply has to put up their hands and accept that evil happens and justice cannot happen.
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, my knowledge of other major belief systems is not in-depth, but I do believe that many of them incorporate philosophies of suffering and evil in their core principles. For example, several eastern religions have developed the notions of karma, Nirvana, and reincarnation in response to the inescapable existence of life’s serious “ups and downs.” The idea that “the universe” is a stage, so to speak, for playing out a natural law of “cause and effect” for individuals’ choices and actions is dominant. There is [supposedly] a sort of “cosmic judgment” at work, as in “what goes around comes around” and “what you sow, you will reap.” Reincarnation in particular provides for restitution and “soul growth,” as individuals return in lower or higher forms to amend and atone for past mistakes. Finally, other worldviews besides Christianity hold the view that hardships help perfect us, as expressed in the common idiom, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
DeleteI would affirm that Christianity is unique in that it places all of life’s events within the work of a personal, loving, holy, and sovereign Supreme Being, and I would agree 100% that the other options don’t adequately eliminate hopelessness or address injustice (I think you meant “throw up your hands”).
In your view, what is the significant difference between putting up hands and throwing up hands? I meant put up because to me that is a sign of resignation, where throw up hands is a sign of aggression.
DeleteWell, it’s not the most important point in my comment, of course, but it seemed you meant to use the common idiom, “throw up [one’s] hands,” which means “to express or indicate exasperated despair or hopelessness; to submit or give up, especially in a dejected or frustrated manner” (as per The Free Dictionary). When I hear, “put up [one’s] hands,” I assume one is in a classroom (another way to say “raise your hands”) or confronted by law enforcement or an armed robber. (Evidently, another use would be by a DJ or concert performer, who might say “put your hands up” to encourage celebration, dancing, etc., but I have not experienced that personally outside of raising one’s hands during worship.) The overall meaning of “put up [one’s] hands” that I noted online was usually to literally “raise your hands in surrender or to signify assent or participation.”
DeleteIn any case, please know it was not my intention to nitpick your choice of words but rather to convey, mostly as an aside, “I know what you meant to say.”