Pain and Suffering
Some people might describe CrossFitters as gluttons for punishment. I mean, seriously, who puts their body through the stress and pain of some of those workouts willingly, and then on top of it goes back and says, "Please sir, can I have some more?" I have had workouts where I felt like I was going to throw up, wondered how I was still breathing, and have finished utterly collapsed on the ground to recover. Pain is an essential part of CrossFit.
Pain is an essential part of life. We can't just run from it--eventually it's going to catch up with us and overwhelm us.
This morning--and this weekend--I've been struggling with stress, worry, fear. This morning I mentally wrestled with God about it. What I heard from Him:
How we deal with pain, suffering, worry, fear depends upon our view of God. I recently turned in a paper attempting to justify God's goodness in the midst of all the brokenness in this world. The main concept was--yes, pain/suffering is the result of the fall and consequences to sin--but it's so much more.
We are involved in a spiritual war between God and Satan, and Satan will use anything and everything within his power to get us to turn our backs on God. If you have read C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, you see this conflict played our fictionally between Aslan and Jadis. Read about the creation of Middle Earth in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion and again, you will see a theology of a good, all-powerful Creator at war with evil who takes the good creation and twists it towards evil. Look at the story of Job; Satan came three times before God and each time God allowed Satan to visit evil on Job--but he also limited it!!! Satan's sole purpose in this story was to get Job to deny God.
Look at our world. Look at the brokenness that exists. Look at how the world is turning their back on God. Tell me that we are not involved in a supernatural conflict.
Those of you reading this who have attended New Hope are familiar with the song Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace) by Hillsong. This song resonates very deeply within me as it reflects the brokenness that I have come through, by His grace, and I pray that somehow it can reach everyone who hears it. My passion is working with those who are broken, who are maybe at a point of questioning the goodness of God. This song exemplifies how God came and created the world in order, Satan brought in disorder, and God has provided a way to bring chaos back into order--back into the perfect shalom He intended it to be.
Pain is an essential part of life. We can't just run from it--eventually it's going to catch up with us and overwhelm us.
This morning--and this weekend--I've been struggling with stress, worry, fear. This morning I mentally wrestled with God about it. What I heard from Him:
"Perfect love drives out fear"
"When I have I not provided for you?"Verses that He recalled to my mind:
Matthew 6:25-34
"38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. " Romans 8:38-39 NETStart in Romans 8:38-39 then move back a few verses and read all the way to the end of Romans 8. Do that in small chunks until you have read the entire chapter and suddenly, that entire passage makes sense.
How we deal with pain, suffering, worry, fear depends upon our view of God. I recently turned in a paper attempting to justify God's goodness in the midst of all the brokenness in this world. The main concept was--yes, pain/suffering is the result of the fall and consequences to sin--but it's so much more.
We are involved in a spiritual war between God and Satan, and Satan will use anything and everything within his power to get us to turn our backs on God. If you have read C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, you see this conflict played our fictionally between Aslan and Jadis. Read about the creation of Middle Earth in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion and again, you will see a theology of a good, all-powerful Creator at war with evil who takes the good creation and twists it towards evil. Look at the story of Job; Satan came three times before God and each time God allowed Satan to visit evil on Job--but he also limited it!!! Satan's sole purpose in this story was to get Job to deny God.
Look at our world. Look at the brokenness that exists. Look at how the world is turning their back on God. Tell me that we are not involved in a supernatural conflict.
Those of you reading this who have attended New Hope are familiar with the song Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace) by Hillsong. This song resonates very deeply within me as it reflects the brokenness that I have come through, by His grace, and I pray that somehow it can reach everyone who hears it. My passion is working with those who are broken, who are maybe at a point of questioning the goodness of God. This song exemplifies how God came and created the world in order, Satan brought in disorder, and God has provided a way to bring chaos back into order--back into the perfect shalom He intended it to be.
Broken Vessels Hillsong
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