No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Rom. 8:37)
LEARNING THE HARD WAY has never been fun, yet the lessons usually endure. We have no perceived need to learn anything when life is easy. Easy times are when we think we have everything under control; we are on our own.
The tendency of humankind is to be independent. We come by this trait naturally. We have an inclination to want to do things our own way. We even have songs to that effect. The core problem with that tendency is that we don’t necessarily know how to do things right, or in the best ways. We make mistakes. In addition to our mistakes, the choices of other people also affect us. Their choices can cause us trouble. All this self-sufficiency by us and others leads to experiencing hard times now and then.
We tend to think God has blessed us when things are going well. Perhaps the blessing is in trusting him because things are going poorly. Paul certainly thought so in this passage. With all the difficulties Paul mentions, his hope and promise of victory is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We do not feel we need God’s help in good times, only in bad. Instead of dreading them, maybe we should welcome the hard times. Maybe we should look forward to learning his way.
Admit your mistakes and face the challenges of life God’s way.
Randall A. Forbes is director of plant operations at Kingswood University. With a flair for the artistic, Randy’s secular life experience contributes to his unique perspective and application of biblical truths.
© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
