A Goldilocks Life

Hope and Suffering

Easter cross by Library of Congress is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God

through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in

which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also

rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,

character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has

poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

We don’t gain peace with God by being good. It is by faith in Jesus. We stand in God’s grace through our trust in Him. God’s grace is goodness we don’t deserve, given through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Hallelujah, Jesus lives!

It makes sense that suffering builds our character. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, suffered more than anyone. He bought our forgiveness by being judged a criminal and facing a death penalty that we deserved. Christ died for our sins, not for His own. He had no sins but took on sin for you and for me. What a wonderful name – the Name of Jesus Christ our King. Our Savior.

Rejoice in sufferings? That’s one thing the old Lynn would never have believed. I couldn’t understand it until I experienced God’s grace. There are good things that come from suffering. The outcomes of facing affliction are described in verses 4 and 5: Perseverance, character, and hope. I want those, don’t you? But we try to wiggle out from under hardships many times, instead of cozying up to God and His word and His people. Get close to help and you’ll get it. . . in abundance when you draw near to God by reading the Bible and going to church.

Let’s persevere through the hard stuff. Our character will grow, and through it so will our hope. This is eternal hope, brought to bear by the presence of God’s Holy Spirit pouring out love, love, love. There’s no room for disappointment, says verse 5: “And hope does not disappoint us.” It never will. Through Christ we gain hope forever, not just to get us through the night—hope that will be reality once we go to heaven with God. Jesus offers us hope through his loving sacrifice for us.

As we go to our Easter services and family gatherings, as we color eggs and eat our special meals, let’s be mindful of the sustaining power of Christ’s presence in our lives, bringing hope for today and eternity.

The event that caused me to lose my temper the other day has disappeared from memory. I’m not even sure how I spent this morning. Can you relate? Time flies, and we move from one thing to the next. Whatever problem got me irritated apparently got resolved. I do remember that my patient husband, Steve, forgave me when I apologized.

As a young mom, it seemed I was hollering at my kids too often. I’d say sorry and ask for forgiveness, but the problem persisted. Off my son (or daughter) and I would go to the bedroom, and I’d tell him how he could do better. Then I would administer a few swats to his behind and pray for him and let him pray, too. Then there were the times I didn’t treat my kids nearly as patiently and would forget to pray with them after they received a spanking or were sent to bed early. Or I’d just yell louder. On Sundays at church, there was an altar call, and I’d find myself kneeling again and pleading with God to forgive me.

The Bible says, “for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19. How I wish I had learned sooner how to keep from giving in to my sinful impulses.

It’s been more than 20 years since I made peace with God and learned to let Him control my response to problems and people. The turning point was finding Jeff, a biblical counselor. The realization that hit me like a brick was that I was angry with God. Mad at Him for lots of hard things. Once I admitted and asked forgiveness for my anger toward the Lord, a study of the lives of Jonah and Joseph from the Old Testament helped me learn the wrong and right responses to things that disappointed me. Jeff equipped me with God’s truth so I wouldn’t be so apt to lose my temper when life didn’t go my way.

I finally asked for help. It took courage for me to come out of the closet about my sinful anger and seek support. Once those steps were taken, I made slow, steady progress in letting God control my outbursts or eliminating them all together.

Admitting we have a problem and asking for help are humbling but necessary if we want victory over wrongdoing. The Bible says in Proverbs 15:22, “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.” Thank God He and His people are there to support and guide us to triumph.

Don’t Lose Heart

Lately I’ve been reading and re-reading Hebrews 12:1-11. The passage begins with advice to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Why? Just as Jesus “endured the cross, scorning the shame,” we will suffer, too. As verse 6 reminds us, the Lord disciplines those He loves. Like a dad or mom would do to a child, so God disciplines us for our good (verses 7-10).

This process is painful, and we are encouraged not to lose heart. Let me tell you, I’ve gotten through some unpleasant times of life lessons.

When we moved to Arizona, it was fun at first, being back together as an intact family after a two-year separation from my kids’ dad. But funds were hard to come by. One day all we had in the fridge was a jar of bacon grease. The Lord provided in surprising ways, but those lean years were hard on me. I was used to having plenty to fall back on. I learned to depend on God’s provision one day at a time. I didn’t like it then. But watching God provide again and again built my trust in His promises like nothing else ever could.

Yes, it is painful to go through discipline. I know full well. “Later, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who are trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11 Years later, I rejoice knowing no matter what, God sees, knows, and cares for me.

Included is a link to Steven Curtis Chapman’s song, “Don’t Lose Heart.”