"It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver."
Psalms 119:71-72
It's hard to look at affliction as a good thing. It doesn't really feel like a good thing when we're going through it. I think it is one of those things that we only fully realize after the fact. When some time has passed, we can look back and see that the things that we went through helped us to learn, grow, and improve. Affliction often teaches us humility, and helps us learn to love others. We learn why God's laws are there, and how they can protect us, even from ourselves.
I don't want to diminish the pain of what we go through at all. Afflictions can test us to the core and by definition are things that hurt us and wear us down. However, God can make all things work together for our good, and that includes the difficult and the devastating things.
Today, let's look back at some afflictions that are far enough in the past to not cause us fresh pain, and focus on what we learned from those experiences. Perhaps we will have new insights, or at least reminders of why we are on our current path, and see God's hand in our lives, in a good way. I don't think we have to ask for afflictions in our lives, since they will just naturally come to us all, but when they do, let's make sure we are focusing on what the Lord is teaching us, and how we can use the experience to improve ourselves and the lives of others. At worst, it might distract us from the pain a little, and at best maybe we'll be able to tap into God's perspective, and see that in an eternal sense, all that we go through will be worth it, and more than that... made up for so much so that we will eventually be swallowed up by joy that exceeds our pain many times over. God *will* make everything right in the end. Until then, let's learn what we can, and maybe even learn a little bit more compassion for what Christ suffered on our behalf.
The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver."
Psalms 119:71-72
It's hard to look at affliction as a good thing. It doesn't really feel like a good thing when we're going through it. I think it is one of those things that we only fully realize after the fact. When some time has passed, we can look back and see that the things that we went through helped us to learn, grow, and improve. Affliction often teaches us humility, and helps us learn to love others. We learn why God's laws are there, and how they can protect us, even from ourselves.
I don't want to diminish the pain of what we go through at all. Afflictions can test us to the core and by definition are things that hurt us and wear us down. However, God can make all things work together for our good, and that includes the difficult and the devastating things.
Today, let's look back at some afflictions that are far enough in the past to not cause us fresh pain, and focus on what we learned from those experiences. Perhaps we will have new insights, or at least reminders of why we are on our current path, and see God's hand in our lives, in a good way. I don't think we have to ask for afflictions in our lives, since they will just naturally come to us all, but when they do, let's make sure we are focusing on what the Lord is teaching us, and how we can use the experience to improve ourselves and the lives of others. At worst, it might distract us from the pain a little, and at best maybe we'll be able to tap into God's perspective, and see that in an eternal sense, all that we go through will be worth it, and more than that... made up for so much so that we will eventually be swallowed up by joy that exceeds our pain many times over. God *will* make everything right in the end. Until then, let's learn what we can, and maybe even learn a little bit more compassion for what Christ suffered on our behalf.
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