You Can Change #34 (Chapter 4)

In the previous section of this chapter in You Can Change, Tim Chester reminded us that God knows and cares about our struggles, with the chief example being Jesus' life among us as fully divine, yet fully human, with all the experiences that go along with being human.

Now we move on to "God Does Something About Our Struggles." Chester:

But God does so much more than just put an arm around our shoulders. First, he uses our struggles. [...] We can rejoice in suffering when we make the connection between suffering and growth. [...] Second, God not only uses our struggles, he promises to bring them to an end. (64-65)

Each one of these moves is essential. We need to know that God cares, but at the end of the day, we need more than sympathy. It helps to know that he has a purpose for the trials we face, so our pain is not meaningless. Our perspective changes when we understand he is doing something good in us through it. Yet, we can become jaded if we think pain is just a tool that he uses, with no recognition that the bad things we go through really are bad.

Usually, we get off track when we try to out-reason God. "Since God is using this for my good, then it must be good." No, the mystery/miracle is that God can take all things, good or bad in themselves, and use them for his good purpose. Or this, "If God is using it for my good, then I should be happy when I'm suffering." Well, the Bible does tell us to rejoice in our trials (Chester cites three passages along this line), but that doesn't mean that we have to deny that bad things are really painful.

It's a delicate balance, but try to hold these things together. God can use even bad things for my good and his glory, but he promises to take away all bad things one day, when sin is gone, the curse is lifted, tears are wiped away, and death is no more.

Until then, let's see what God's up to.

How have you seen God use your struggles to bring about growth in your life?