The moment we knew Christ in our lives, we really don’t experience bed of roses or even positive outcomes that we expect from following Him but I guess that we all have one thing in common, that is the hope that we have in our hearts that the lives we’re living is not the end reality. We expect more of it as they say the “now but not yet” which is confusing for me before but as we keep on following a God who knows everything even our deepest hurts and deepest cries we are building the assurance that our experiences is not in vain and one day it will turn into joy and gladness in His presence.
“For this momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” – 2 Corinthians 4:17
Let’s look at the people who really did follow Christ. Paul will tell us that it’s not always full of joy but He chose to be joyful in the midst of the whipped back, a stay in prison cell, stoned and dragged, three times shipwrecked and beheaded in the end. Peter who became one of the leaders of the early church was crucified upside down and rest of his disciples experienced violent deaths except for John who died peacefully in Patmos. Now, if we will list and present all of our sufferings to God, we might have to take a second look on the genuine followers of Christ who continue their walk with Him in whatever circumstances even to the point of death.
The main question that we should ask ourselves daily is the basis of our joy at the moment. Who? Where? What? Is the basis of our joy? It will vary to different people and cultures. Some maybe their possessions that will secure them in the future, some can be their family and friends, others might be their careers, or even the things they do. Isn’t it all this things temporary? Paul teaches us in looking on things that are unseen, permanent and eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Most of us forget that we are bound by time, we are all living on a timeline. Life is short but eternity is forever. I like what Andy Dufresne said in the movie Shawshank Redemption, “Get busy living or get busy dying”, we all have choices to make in every circumstances we face but we have a decision to take whether to follow Christ whatever it may cost us. Timothy Keller once said that “Christ did not suffer so that we will not suffer but when we suffer we become more like Him.” Let’s not forget that every mess we have in our lives can turn into a message, our test into a testimony and always be for His glory.
It is true that while we are in the world we are not free of evil, pain and sufferings but God promises to be with us. “We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; Perplexed, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed.” – 2 Corinthians 4:8. We might get discouraged a lot in people we expect to live their lives right, to opportunities not in our favour, to people we lost, to the things taken from our hands.
And again will we based our joy on these things that will fade? We can secure our joy when we put it into someone eternal, when we put it to the eternal God who will satisfy our soul not just now but in eternity. We will become joyful not just because life is good but because He is always good. I can’t imagine a world where there’s no chaos, no fights, no heartaches, not bound by time and just peace, love and joy in His presence.
Ang Makata Ng Manlilikha 