God is so amazing. I'll start with that.
I wanted to share a discussion me and my dad had on our long road trip yesterday. We were looking at some lyrics from a really cool song by a secular band. I just wanted to share a portion of the lyrics with you:
Well, everybody's gonna need somebody To take our troubles and our worries And our problems all away...
Well, everybody's gonna need somebody To take our troubles and our worries And our problems all away...
This part really touched me and my dad. But when my dad asked me who that person is and how they are going to do that...I was a little stumped. I said "Jesus, of course." Then I thought about it. Does Jesus just take all of our problems away? No. If he did, why are we the way we are? Why are loved ones dying? Why are people getting into debt? Why are there Anorexic and Bulimic girls out there? Why? Because Jesus doesn't take our troubles and our worries and our problems all away. When we get to heaven, of course. But why doesn't he take them away now? I'm still answering this question myself. I used to listen to "Adventures in Odyssey" by Focus on the Family. One of my favorite characters "Jenny Roberts" became blind through some sort of incident. One day she was at "Whit's End" (the soda shop) giving advice to a girl who was recently feeling disconnected to God. Since Jenny became blind, she had grown closer to God herself. Jenny told her that whenever she went through hard times, those hard times had brought her closer to God. Why? Because she would spend more time sharing her problems with God!
So, I have a question: Does God let us go through hard times, let us worry, have troubles and problems so that we will grow closer to him? Please give me comments, I would love to hear your opinion.
So, I have a question: Does God let us go through hard times, let us worry, have troubles and problems so that we will grow closer to him? Please give me comments, I would love to hear your opinion.
3 comments:
kind of like refining gold through fire. I don't know if that would have anything to do with this and I can't remember the verse (>.<)
Somebody else said pain is God's megaphone. If everything were sweet and dandy we wouln't think of God or think that we needed Him. It's when things are out of your controll that you turn to God.
"Does God let us go through hard times, let us worry, have troubles and problems so that we will grow closer to him?"
Some people I know are asking, "Does God make us go through hard times, make us worry, make troubles and problems for us so that we will grow closer to him?"
I like the first question better. It asks if we have a story, and if the story is a good story. Every good story has conflict because every good story has an antagonist. The best stories have a rescuer.
The second question asks if God is in complete control of everything that happens to us. It's a rather depressing question that usually just makes people argue.
I love your post, Grace.
Thank you so much for putting this up! I really needed to hear that.
As for your question, I would have to say "yes." One thing I've learned pretty early in my life...pain is inevitable. You're right. Jesus doesn't just take all of our problems away. A lot of Christian songs and movies coming out today tend to say, "Believe in Jesus and everything will become okay and perfect." Actually, this morning, I was telling God, "God, I'm a Christian, but Christians have problems too. We go through our times of confusion, doubt, and fear. We feel forgotten, alone, left out, judged, misunderstood..." Sometimes even at church I wish I can wear my hair over my eyes regularly and not talk to anybody so they'll see that I'm not okay. But I tell you what, I've found that to be IMPOSSIBLE! Despite what might be going on in my life, WOW! I have JOY. In fact, one girl in my youth group said that she told her friends that I was the happiest person she knew. Weird, isn't it?? It's because God doesn't take our problems away; He gives us JOY, and here are two answers to your question:
1. He wants us to see that we are hopeless without Him. He wants us to be closer to Him, rely on Him more, and see that He is the ONLY ONE who can truly love and care for us.
2. He wants us to experience pain yet have JOY, so others can see it in us and want what we have.
Anberlin has a song called "Hello Alone," which has been one of my "life songs" sometimes. Almost the entire song is a lament. Singer Stephen Christian screams, "DOES ANYBODY CARE AT ALL?!" And yet, at the very end of the song, almost like one of David's psalms, he sings, "Is anybody out there alone, alone? For the lesser known, I'M HERE AND THERE'S HOPE. There's hope..."
Again, thank you so much for posting this.
Post a Comment