“When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory. And I realize just how beautiful You are and how great Your affections are for me.” How He Loves by John Mark McMillan
Who am I that God would look at me and have anything but loathing for what He sees? Me, with my failed relationships, my feeble attempts at control, my vain endeavor to appear something other than what I really am… Why would He bother? When most people look at my crumbling life and walk the other way, why would the God of the universe do anything different?
It’s so easy as a Christian to get caught up in an attitude of entitlement- to take the blessings of God for granted. We expect our paths to always be easy, things to always go our way. When things don’t turn out the way we want, we throw our Christian temper-tantrums with our fingers pointed towards God with an exclamation of, “It’s not fair!”
Jesus had these same feelings while He was on earth. 100 percent man and 100 percent God, He knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane and cried out to His Father. Faced with upcoming betrayal, torture, and a criminal’s death, Jesus had every right to question what was happening, to stomp His feet and point His fingers toward heaven in a temper-tantrum of His own- but He didn’t. (Matthew 26:36-46)
“He told them, ‘My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’ He went on a little farther and bowed with His face to the ground, praying, ‘My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not mine.’” -Matthew 26:38-39
It wasn’t fair that a man who had never sinned should be tortured and hung on a cross- but He was. It wasn’t fair that our God should sacrifice His only Son to die in our place- but He did. It isn’t fair that we should be saved from eternal torture because of the death of a pure and innocent Sacrifice- yet we are. (John 3:16)
Throughout our lifetimes we both benefit from and suffer the consequences of our unfair existence. When we receive the short end of the stick, we are quick to raise our fists in objection. However, what happens when we reap the benefits of a situation? When life goes in our favor? Do we thank God for our blessings as quickly as we complain to Him when we don’t feel blessed?
If the perfect Son of God was treated so unfairly on this earth, why should we expect to be treated any differently? Why should we expect life to be a magic fairy tale? It certainly wasn’t for the Savior of the world. Paul said to consider it an opportunity for great joy when we experience trial and hardship, because those are the things that shape us into the people God wants us to be.
It’s easier said than done- to count the tough things of life as anything that could result joy. How can a devastating job loss be beneficial? How can a sudden death of a spouse or loved one be anything but painful? How can a diagnosis of cancer be something that God would ever ask us to consider accepting as okay?
My friend, God never wastes a hurt. He will take anything this sinful world throws into our lives and make it beautiful in His time- if we let Him. That’s the key- we have to allow Him to work in us in order for us to be molded into the person He knows we can be.
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” –James 1:2-4
What we tend to be so swift to forget in the face of adversity is that, ultimately, we deserve nothing. We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. (Romans 3:23) It is only by His grace and mercy that we are saved. Everything we receive in this life is an undeserved blessing from a God who loves us more than we can ever comprehend. Even while we were still sinners, He loved us. (Romans 5:8)
When we place our focus of this life where it belongs- on the goodness and glory of God- the unfair things of this life tend to fade. Our afflictions are “eclipsed by glory.” An acute awareness of our unworthiness in the presence of our Father will transform our angry, pointing fingers into open hands of humble worship. It is only by looking into the face of our Savior that we can attempt to comprehend the endless love that He has for us.
“I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” –Ephesians 3:16-19
