There are many verses in the Bible that admonish Christians to be thankful, even joyful when trials and hardship appear in their lives. But in my limited knowledge and cursory research, most, if not all of those references are when that persecution/hardship is a result of our faith. Yet there are other challenges that arise in life that are a direct result of our own sin.
Are we to be thankful for those times also? Was Sampson to have rejoiced when Deliah cut his hair? Did Moses feel contentment when he struck the rock and was denied entry into the promise land?
Can we learn from our self-wrought trials? Definitely. Are we do go to God for peace during these times of self-created hardship? Certainly. But it is important to differentiate between faith-based trials and self-inflicted hardship.
I think the differentiation is important for one primary reason. If the tribulation is faith-based, then we are sharing in Christ's stripes. We are experiencing a small part of what our Lord and Savior suffered. However, when that trial is a result of our sin, we should look at it as a humbling, growth-oriented situation. Confession and change are required.
Taking our all our cares to God in prayer is constant. Allowing Him to guide us through trials is imperative. But what we learn and how we respond to those trials can be very different depending on the impetus for those hard times.
No comments:
Post a Comment