We Shouldn’t Be Surprised by Trials

No Comments
california-desert

I’ll never forget when I heard the news.  It was in an emergency room and I thought maybe I was facing the wrong way.  Or maybe the doctor was talking past me to another parent.  I was so taken aback.  So caught off guard.  Shocked… surprised… stunned…

…numb.

Thinking back on that moment years ago, I understand it. It’s only natural to be shocked to hear your child has cancer. But what if isn’t? What if being caught off-guard by trials is more our conditioning from the influences of Western culture, both secular and religious. What if our world is rocked because we have a skewed definition of what we “deserve”?

We’re good at marketing

Sometimes I think we do a better job of marketing the Bible than we do believing it or walking it out.  Take this for example…

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (emphasis mine)

John 16:33

See that middle part right there.  The part where I used the nifty CMD+I trick. We like to leave that part out. It doesn’t market very well, especially that “sorrows” bit. I mean, that’s the opposite of the canned “I’m blessed, brother. And, you?”

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

The fact that God is “this” means we must go through “that.”  And “that” stinks.  Sometimes very, very badly.

We shouldn’t be surprised…

…when trouble comes.  But often times we are. Maybe I was caught off-guard because deep down I really believed God owed me something. He would never let that happen to me… to my child… to my family. But that’s not what he promised. Seems like I’m really good at marketing as well.

But looking back, I know He was there and still is.

What he did promise however is that He’d be there. My personal experience was that I never felt like he was. Like wandering in the desert with no help or end in sight. But looking back, I know He was there and still is.

If you’re going through a difficult season…

Here are a few things I’ve learned:

  • God doesn’t “owe” me anything
  • I’m normal. Pain, deep pain, is part of the broken human experience.
  • Give yourself permission to experience all the emotions that come with what you’re facing.
  • Ask for help.
  • Pray honestly. Even is it’s simply, “Help us…”
  • It’s worth hanging in there with the relationships that matter… even when it’s toughest.
  • It won’t happen overnight. It may take years so settle in for the long haul.
  • You probably won’t feel much simply because your body, mind, and spirit are all wired together and clarity doesn’t come easy but… 
  • God is real.
  • He does love you.
  • He’s not blind even when he’s silent.
  • He’s working on your behalf even now.
  • He believes in you even when you don’t believe in him.

If you’re not going through it… this is for you:

  • One day, and probably soon… you will be.
  • Until then…

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.  He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.  (emphasis mine)

2 Corinthians 1:3-4