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Reconciling Trouble into God’s Next Great Work
How does one reconcile the most difficult circumstances in life? What do life’s challenges teach us? How do we reason through our mistakes? How do we overcome the harm that other people have caused us? How do we make sense of the tragedies we encounter?
By now, most of us have faced our fair share of challenges in life. Some of them were our fault, some were the fault of others, and other challenges were just the product of an imperfect world. Regardless of how any of the issues were resolved or unresolved, all of us have had to try and find some way to deal with everything so that we can try to move forward in life.
Reconciling those troubled areas of life is really, really difficult. Lots of times, our loved ones and friends served as the catalysts of strength to help us overcome the issues. But still, only those of us closest to the situation understand the full impact of the suffering involved, so even our best friends and closest loved ones don’t quite get the entire picture.
Reconciling trouble is one of Jesus’ main purposes on Earth. The New Testament is loaded with stories and examples of how Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection paved the way for us to carry on with love, strength, dignity, and generosity. In fact, it is because we make so many mistakes that God made the choice to come into our world as one of us so that we might have a tangible example by which to live.
For me, one of the most difficult things to remember is that Jesus experienced such extreme suffering that my life’s challenges don’t compare to what God experienced. God knows pain. God knows suffering. God knows what it means to be betrayed. God knows what it means to be rejected, unjustly accused, tortured, and forgotten. God also knows what it means to share blessings with other people by feeding, clothing, and providing assistance to those most in need. In fact, it is the need of others that often helps me to reconcile the trouble I experience.
When I help someone else, I discover that God’s purpose is far greater than what I understand in my own little world. My pain is real. My struggle is legitimate. But God already knows all of it and God is already ahead of it, beckoning me forward into new purpose.
I wish I had a quick-fix solution that would work for every situation, but nothing worthwhile and lasting comes easily. If I put time constraints on God (like, “God you better fix this by Friday”), I’m not paying enough attention to what God is likely already doing. If I put qualifications on the way God solves the problems, then I am limiting God to my own imagination.
Our goal should be to find enough humility to bow before the LORD, allow God to be God, and pay attention. God has not forgotten. God is already on the move. And, God is inviting you and me to become part of God’s Next Great Work!
I hope to see you this week at the Chapel, online or in person!
God Bless, Brock
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