the greenest grass around

Today we are reviewing Romans 3-5 and looking at what Paul says about suffering and our perspective.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. We know how dearly God loves us because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5

Let’s take a second to break down these verses. The Bible tells us we will have trials and troubles. Most of you know the struggles we have had this year and that is why this verse stuck out to me. I can tell you though, it is hard for me to “rejoice” about any problems we are facing this year. In fact, I would say I have done the opposite of rejoicing. I have yelled and screamed and cried my heart out to God (and anyone else who was around.) But I am trying to look at this from Paul’s point of view. Remember, one of my words for the year 2023 is perspective (point of view).

So let’s look at this from Paul’s perspective. Paul is saying that when we take Christ as his offer, our (Christian’s) suffering has a purpose. The Bible tells us in several places that there will be trouble in the lives of Christians, this Paul points out that creates endurance. Think of the metaphor of running the Christian race (or life as a race). We are running and the stronger we become, the more we practice and workout, the better we will be at running and finishing the race well. This is what Paul is getting to, struggling and building allows us to trust, lean on, and/or rely on God for more and longer amounts of time. Think about it, when we are young in our Christian walk, we struggle to trust God for long periods of time or if a trial comes up. That is when young believers “run to” God, whereas more mature Christians may have more of a stable relationship with God built from years of reading, praying, and endurance training (so to speak).

Or let’s use the metaphor of a parent and a child since God is our heavenly father. As young children, we often ask our parents for help with everything from putting clothes on, and coloring, to help us get something from the top shelf. But as we grow as Christians, we begin being able to “Call on” our parents less and just be there with them more. By this time the relationship has changed. God wants us to not only take him at his offer but grow in our relationship with him. We do this by beginning with the end in mind, keeping first things first, seeking first to understand, and sharpening the saw. We know what the end goal is, we keep God in our sight, we read and study the Bible, and we build a community of believers around us.

Keeping our perspective on God will cause us to see trials differently. Yes, they are still awful and trying but you see them differently, nonetheless. Some days I think that I would like to go back and stay on June 18, 2022, forever and remain blissfully ignorant. Then again I know I would have missed all the blessings, friendships, and glory of God.

How do you deal with your perspective? I am still working this out for myself.

But I pray that God gives me (and you) the strength to see people and situations the way he sees them. I pray that we do not get in the way of God’s will and plan. I pray that we seek God’s face and his guidance for our lives and situations. May God give us hope in Him that will not disappoint. A hope for a future and endurance to run the race well.