We sometimes think that any difficulty we experience, surely can’t be God’s will for us. And the truth is that God is all-powerful and can miraculously change our situation, taking away pain. But Paul’s story makes it clear that God sometimes takes us THROUGH the difficulty, using it to impact is, and the people around us, for good.
Watching family and friends “live this out” has profoundly affected my life. It’s taught me to lean into our Heavenly Father, rather than pushing Him away, when we’ve faced difficulties.
“Paul refused to let his pain go in vain. Anyone else would have seen prison as an obstacle, but he saw it as an opportunity. I once heard it said that our suffering can be purposeful, or purposeless. This is the strange joy we can have in suffering, that God can work redemption - even beautiful redemption - through any hard thing. It’s not a shallow, fleeting happiness but a deep, abiding joy anchored in God’s love. It is always available to us and for that we can rejoice.” - Defiant Joy, Shannon Miller
“Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ.... Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they’re up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. There’s far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There’s also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting.” Philippians 1:27-30 MSG
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