You walk out of the
house in the morning and notice that you have a flat tire on your car? What do
you do?
You notice a lump on
your breast. What do you do?
On your twenty-fifth
anniversary your spouse throw their wedding ring at you and announces they are
getting a divorce. What do you do?
The Christian faith
has recommended a challenging response to bad news. Here is one of those
responses:
“There’s more to come: We continue to shout our
praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles
can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the
tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In
alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the
contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously
pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!” (Romans 5:3-5 – The Message).
How do you shout for joy when your life is collapsing around
you?
According the Christian perspective, troubles are to be greeted as opportunities for personal growth.
We say we want to be a strong, resilient people, yet, we shrink from the
thought of pain and suffering. Give us courage but don’t give us a test of
courage.
As my friend, Jim, often says, “No pain, no gain.” St. Paul agrees
with Jim.
Ronald Friesen © 2015
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