peace and courage…

we have two decisions in this matter of pain in our life. we can decide to turn to bitterness or to turn to GOD for peace and courage. our choice.

we’ve all seen examples of this, where people have gone through virtually identical sets of suffering, very similar experiences in life. one woman may lose a child to a drunk driver and turn chronically bitter for the rest of her life. another person came to him and worked through her grief and then founded mothers against drunk drives to help other people going through this.

as one philosopher said, “i believe all suffering is at least potential good – an opportunity for good. it’s up to our free will to actualize that potential. not all of us benefit from suffering and learn from it because it’s up to us. it’s up to our freewill.”

our choice is either, to run from GOD. and what is the up side to that? or we can turn to GOD.

JESUS himself says in john 16.33 (nasb), these things i have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. in the world you will have tribulation but take courage. i have overcome the world. HE says the two things we need, after we turn to JESUS CHRIST, is peace to deal with our suffering at present and courage to deal with suffering in the future. JESUS says, “i can give you the very things that you need.”

GOD’s ultimate answer is not an explanation, it is the incarnation – JESUS CHRIST fully GOD and fully man, coming in to our experience to live and die, to live among us.

i could never love a GOD who was distant, disinterested, detached and who just watched the suffering from afar. i could never love a GOD like that. but i cannot help but love a GOD who says, “i will enter into your suffering, i will enter into your pain. i will come into your world and i will suffer a death on the cross so that you might have eternity in heaven.” i can’t help but love a GOD like that.

just a thought from the front porch…