Hammer on Anvil '

First, let me apologize for my tardiness. I was enjoying a nice, relaxing day in the much cooler outdoors yesterday when the panic hit..."I forgot my blog post!" However, God's timing is not my own, and this post would have been very different if it had not been late.

I heard a podcast this week that got me thinking. The focus was on the two differing themes of the Bible; joy in Christ, and suffering in the Christian life. The commentator mentioned the old adage: Don't major in the minors and minor in the majors. As I discussed it with my teenage daughter in the car on our day trip, I realized that this concept is very clearly present in modern Christianity.

Ever notice how serious Christians are? We are rigid. We are subdued. That's an interesting word with a dual meaning. One definition is 'calm; collected'. The definition we often overlook is 'overpowered'. Many Christians are overpowered in their lives. Sometimes they are overpowered by the sacrifice of Christ; they can't stop feeling guilty that their sins caused Jesus' suffering. More often, though, Christians are overpowered by suffering.

Therein lies the problem. We are 'majoring in the minors' when we allow our suffering to dominate our thoughts, our lives. The two themes of the Bible are not equal; and suffering is absolutely not the major of the two themes. God's love through Christ is the overwhelming winner in the Bible.

Jesus' love is intense and personal. Take the bleeding woman. Mark chapter 5 tells us that she was healed by touching Jesus' robe. She believed doing this would cure her, and it did. End of story, right? Wrong. Jesus knew she needed His personal touch in her life. He sought her out and comforted her. "Daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace and be healed of your affliction."

He called a curious but terrified Zaccheus out of a tree and let him know he was important. He was moved to tears by the grief of Martha and Mary over Lazarus. He called a corrupt tax collector to be one of His inner circle. He stood up to a crowd to save the life and heart of an adulterous woman.

In our daily grind, we forget about the joy waiting at every opportunity. Violence, selfishness, greed and suffering cloud our line of sight to God and his love. Our focus shifts from a God-perspective to a human one, and it's like taking off the glasses midway through a 3-D film. The picture turns blurry and we experience the grief of losing the clarity and authenticity we once took for granted.

Suffering is an inevitibility in the Christian life. God uses it to shape us, to mold us into the person He wants us to become. What He doesn't want is for us to break under its pressure. In order for us to stand firm under His refining power, we've got to keep our eyes on Jesus. He is God's love embodied for us. 'Sing for JOY to God our strength!'