The title of this blog? It’s one of the biggest lies in the Christian church. However, just because it’s a lie, it doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with the idea every single day.
It seems like, if we love God and do His will and follow His commandments, we should be safe from pain. As Christians, we treat God like the magic genie sometimes, the one who will take away every bad thing. And when He doesn’t, we get M-A-D.
Frankly, I’m a little worried today. Why? Because about four days ago, I woke up thinking what I’m going to write in the next paragraph. And because yesterday, the sermon at church was about brokenness. Those times in life when the pressure’s so hard we think we’re going to shatter. Does God cause those times? I don’t believe so. Does He use them if we let Him? As one who has been there, oh yes, He certainly does. And in ways we can’t even imagine.
Jesus walked this earth, Son of God and Son of Man. Did God exempt His Son from suffering? No. In fact, Jesus may have suffered more than any other man who ever walked this earth. I mean, think about it… beyond the agony of the Cross, Jesus was straight-up Satan’s number one target. Life could not have been easy.
If Jesus was not exempt, then neither are we. Do I have the grand answers as to why some suffer more than others? I wish I did. But I can say this… when those hard times smack us right upside the head, we can know we’re not alone. Jesus walked that road, and he’s ahead of us, waiting to take our hand and lead us through it.
-JB
Rebecca Stuhlmiller says
I was just talking about this with my husband. We are prone to look at our lives as a series of circumstances: sometimes life is good, sometimes life is bad. But God looks at our lives as a great whole – a life He's planned and laid out to fulfill His purpose. Some lives that have been lived before us (as told in the Bible) were mostly suffering with a short window of joy. Having that perspective helps when the hard times come. Thanks, Jodie, for reminding us of this.
Kimberly says
Amen, sister! It helps just to know that whatever it is, He gets it!