Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Suffering, pain and sickness
Life's storms... there is no getting away.
When we feel beaten from every side or when all of what we hold dear is taken away -- there is no where to turn or run to, except to the One who is the all in all.
In these dark, wilderness times - if we let God be God - what we lose in terms of our things of security (or safety nets), we gain in increased clarity and treasures that is of the Lord Himself -- that is if we allow Him the liberty to work and shape us.
The real question is whether we truly believe God's way is worth trading for in exchange for the baggage that we desperately cling to. Often, letting go is not easy. Our way is one that feels right and makes sense:
I was made redundant a few years back. One may argue that is not necessarily the end of the world. But for a person whose very personhood is built on strong achievements all my life, being made redundant and six months of unemployment felt like the core of my identity was taken away from me. I can only speak from an exceedingly limited perspective of one person. But looking back at these wilderness moments in my own life, the cliche of God using circumstances to shape us for a bigger and more sovereign purpose stands absolutely true. Disappointment, fear, loss and sickness often bring us to the crossroad of going down diverging paths.
What sort of shelter do we hide under? How relentless do we trust Him when there does not seem to be a Plan B? This is often how the Lord works, there is no Plan B. It is either Him or nothing. Liberty awaits God's way, but often when the rubber meets the road, it is not as simple for us to let go. God says, "Be still and know that I AM God".
In the end, the final question really comes down to whether we chose God's way, rather than be a slave to 'other lesser gods', which often includes our stubborn, self-sufficient nature. And the Lord does indeed gives us the privilege, as well as consequences, of choosing a response.
When we feel beaten from every side or when all of what we hold dear is taken away -- there is no where to turn or run to, except to the One who is the all in all.
In these dark, wilderness times - if we let God be God - what we lose in terms of our things of security (or safety nets), we gain in increased clarity and treasures that is of the Lord Himself -- that is if we allow Him the liberty to work and shape us.
The real question is whether we truly believe God's way is worth trading for in exchange for the baggage that we desperately cling to. Often, letting go is not easy. Our way is one that feels right and makes sense:
- A cancer patient may not to let go of asking the question why he has been saddled with pain.
- A person who carries the baggages of past hurt may not want to venture out to risk being hurt again eventhough there are rewards.
- A person, mired in the compromise of sexual sin, quietly giving in and resigned to not try to be holy anymore.
- A suicidal person who ultimately decides that the obstacles are giants too large, even for God, to overcome.
Does God appear harsh sometimes? Yes.
Does that indicate a diminished love for us? No.I was made redundant a few years back. One may argue that is not necessarily the end of the world. But for a person whose very personhood is built on strong achievements all my life, being made redundant and six months of unemployment felt like the core of my identity was taken away from me. I can only speak from an exceedingly limited perspective of one person. But looking back at these wilderness moments in my own life, the cliche of God using circumstances to shape us for a bigger and more sovereign purpose stands absolutely true. Disappointment, fear, loss and sickness often bring us to the crossroad of going down diverging paths.
What sort of shelter do we hide under? How relentless do we trust Him when there does not seem to be a Plan B? This is often how the Lord works, there is no Plan B. It is either Him or nothing. Liberty awaits God's way, but often when the rubber meets the road, it is not as simple for us to let go. God says, "Be still and know that I AM God".
In the end, the final question really comes down to whether we chose God's way, rather than be a slave to 'other lesser gods', which often includes our stubborn, self-sufficient nature. And the Lord does indeed gives us the privilege, as well as consequences, of choosing a response.
Labels: God's Love, Hardship / Struggles / Pain
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