Our Treasure Within
Has it been a year since I last made a blog entry? What a busy year it has been, so many blessings. And yet I've seen so much pain in so many people around me. And thinking back, besides a new grandbaby and wonderful trips and visits with the family who are all healthy and prospering, there was mono last winter and shingles and of course a sinus infection that slowed my tracks for months.
And so what do I feel moved to blog about? Back to the problem of pain. Why does God allow suffering? It's in finding the answer to this problem that we either become His followers or wallow in our own journey trying to find answers and antidotes.
But the answer is written over and over throughout the scriptures! There are so many SO THAT verses, verses that tell us we suffer SO THAT we may bring Him glory in the way we do it: Praise be the God of comfort...who comforts us in our troubles SO THAT we may comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Cor. 1:3. I will give you treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, SO THAT you will know I am the Lord...who summons you by name. Is. 45:3 Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ SO THAT you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. I Pet. 4:12.
I marvel every time I see a SO THAT verse of which there are so many more, because suddenly in the midst of the confusion of life, the Word shouts the truth in simplicity - that we so easily lose as we walk through the next episodes of our journey - the reason we need the sustenance of the Word daily, lest we forget.
None speaks louder to me than 2 Cor. 4:7-12: But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power if from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, SO THAT the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, SO THAT his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
It seems so clear today in the warmth of my living room in front of a warm fire with the snow painting a picture of beauty outside my window. But what of my friends? One undergoing brain surgery today- a single mom with 2 small children, another caring for a dear one with stage 4 rectal cancer at age 49 who doesn't know the Lord, or of the young mother suddenly cast away to be a single mom of two little ones? Suddenly the warm fire and the tranquil scene outside is not enough beauty to stop the stab of fear that runs through me. When will it be my turn again? I may not have suffered such dramatic encounters with pain. And yet pain is pain, regardless of the reason, big or small. For we are, as the scripture says, jars of clay, weak beings that suffer scars the moment we are put into the world - disappointments, unanswered prayer, sickness, worries, even just daily hassles of time pressures and setbacks.
But what beauty there is when these jars of clay shine the beauty of their faith through the fissures of the brokenness that pain has left them marked in one way or another! There is nothing more beautiful than seeing the light of hope shine through the faces of those who SEE the SO THAT even through their tears, who accept that this life is but a stairway to heaven - one full of detours to the next step - and yes, full of beauty when we reach the next one of blessings, those times where we can bask in thankfulness for the manna given to go on.
Yes, there is nothing more beautiful than seeing those who show us how to go through trials fulfilling the command of Phil. 4: 4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice: Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and you minds in Christ Jesus. Even the secular media loves those stories - we do see stories of courage and hope and perseverance occasionally sprinkled in the midst of the bad news - they just don't see the source of their power within.
That peace that passes understanding - surely there is nothing more beautiful. And there is nowhere I see it more clearly than from the dear clay pots around me that shine it out through their suffering. And I thank God for them, role models of followers that show me the way. The problem is to remember this - to keep it in our minds when they get clouded by our disappointments, setbacks and fears. But that is a blog for another day.
The
Song of the Valley
When they walk through the valley
of weeping,
it will become a place of refreshing
springs. – Psalm 84:6
Many are the plans of a woman’s heart. (Pr. 19:21)
But when your plans differ Lord, how do we start
to process our pain?
The psalmists show how.
We flail and cry, until our head we bow
to the Author of our story.
He always knows what’s best.
Though we can’t see how, we must surrender and rest
by remembering His deeds
when He’s touched us before.
When we look back, we see how He opens the door
To hidingin Him.
We don’t need to fear.
He was with us there. He’ll be with us here.
We can trust in our tomorrows
because He’s touched our yesterdays.
So through the valley of weeping, we must cling til the praise
rises up within us – and we see where we are…
Maybe not where we planned to be, but
with Him walking so far,
holding tight to His hand,
knowing He is our fortress
and in any onslaught we can stand…
if we remember His touch,
hide and cling,
we’ll learn, even in the valleys, we can walk
and sing.
- by Sherrill Schlimpert, April 2010
