Hardships
I read a verse in Scripture this morning that made me stop abruptly and consider its impact for my own life.
Acts 14:22b says, “We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God."
Yikes! I don't know of anyone who actually wants to go through hardships, but this verse seems to express a necessity rather than a whim or a desire. How do I process that? How do I face seemingly impossible trials day after day wondering if there is an end in sight?
I know for myself, I have been given countless opportunities to go through an exhaustive number of hardships and upon reading this verse today I suddenly saw it in a different light. Each trial, each difficultly, each hardship, is fashioned for our journey on earth. I was asked the question recently, 'what is our purpose on earth?’
Simply stated, I replied that our time on earth is to prepare our souls for eternity. While there are many more complex answers that I could have given, that is the one that was appropriate for that particular person. Suffering and hardship are so very necessary in the life of a Christian. Books have been written on the stuff and theologians have debated for centuries if a loving God really causes all pain and suffering and if He loved us He would stop it or prevent it all together. I'm not going to answer that here because the verse I started with speaks to it perfectly without further explanation.
Isaiah 55:8 says, “ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”, declares the Lord.
Even if I were to drag out a dozen verses of Scripture to prove some point or another, the bottom line is that God has the first and the last word on all life and everything we go through.
If you don't believe that God loves us and has our best interest at heart, then everything else you think or believe will be skewed. If hardships are necessary, then I would rather spend my time seeking God's will and His help as I travel through them, rather than being angry, resisting Him and shaking my fist in defiance. Our vain imaginings and proud thoughts have no place on the journey to holiness.
So today, if you encounter a hardship, and most of us will, try to receive it as something that is taking you closer to the Kingdom of God. Call out to Him for His help. He doesn’t expect you to do it alone.