Recently we discussed the value of having faith in the midst of challenges. I shared some examples with you then, and we will discuss more below, but first I would like to start with a familiar story.
Remember when Jesus calmed the raging Sea of Galilee. His apostles awoke him crying "Master! Carest thou not that we perish?" When we read these verses, we probably don't do it with the emotion like it really happened. I hear them screaming the question at the top of their lungs in desperation and fear. I have felt like that sometimes. And though my response may not have perhaps had the same intensity or volume, it has been nonetheless similar in urgency. But I have realized over time that these occasions allow God the opportunity to make the tragic tremendous, as we have been promised. Romans 8:28
We dodged a bullet last week. Knowing that Alyssa is safe after the train fire scare in India is the best news we could have received, but others have not been so lucky:
- Recent Colorado theater shootings
- Friends and families of the 47 killed and dozens injured in the train burning in India
- A good friend's wife recently died of cancer leaving him and eight children alone
These are perhaps the most recent tragedies, but we all know of many more circumstances close to home that have tested and tried those we hold dear. Tragedy has not been a stranger to our family. So, why does this have to happen? Why?
Consider the following effects of hardship:
- Enables free agency - the importance of free agency cannot be over-emphasized. We must have an opportunity to learn from our choices and others must also have this right. Sometimes this instruction is painful.
- Inspires in us gratitude and empathy - when we see the pains and hardship of others, we have appreciation for the bounty with which we have been blessed and learn to have compassion for the suffering.
- Teaches lessons that can be revealed no other way - think back over your life; some of the most important lessons you have learned were on the road of adversity.
- Strengthens our faith - we can't do it alone. Every person needs the help of the Savior to get through this life and into the next.
Lessons I am learning:
- Love means there will be pain - we can expect that. "Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved," says the poet. We have been told that opposition in all things is part of life.
- Worthwhile things are always associated with difficulty. Think about it - "easy come, easy go," they used to say in my day.
- Learning coping mechanisms will help us face life's obstacles. Overcoming hardship prepares us to confront difficulty, forms our character, and shapes our destiny.
- God's will is not man's will - His perspective is far greater than ours. We must have faith in Him.
One of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis follows. It captures the eternal perspective amid the challenges of life:
"The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of– throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace."
This doesn't mean we have to simply tolerate this existence. This understanding can lift us out of the doldrums of life's challenges to bask in the brightness of the Son. This also empowers us now to prepare and gives us the hope that through us, He can make the difficult and tragic beautiful.
Because of the Savior, even in the midst of tragedy, we have hope.
We don't know everything, but we know enough.
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