Years ago I heard a renowned communicator say, "...We had best learn and teach others how to process our pain." Knowing how to work through the hard things that life will inevitably bring is of paramount importance if we are to successfully navigate and come out on the other side improved! Perspective and ongoing nurturing of a healthy view of our lives from God's eyes is what we need to carry us to His desired destination. I leave with you words from C. H. Spurgeon:
We would never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched. We would never enjoy the juice of the grape if it were never trodden in the wine press. We would never discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten. And we would never know the warmth of fire if the coals were not utterly consumed. The excellence of the Christian is brought out by the fire of trouble...
I believe the hardest-hearted, most cross grained and unlovely Christians...are those who never have had much trouble...The ones who are most sympathizing, loving, and Christlike are generally those that have the most affliction. The worst thing that could happen to any of us is to have our path made too smooth, and one of the greatest blessings that ever the Lord gave us was a cross....
We would never have essential fellowship with Jesus as we should if we did not have trouble. Don't imagine that any amount of prayer will have the effect of staving it off, for noone ever prayed like our Savior did. His agony in Gethsemane was a time of the mightiest prayer that was ever heard in heaven, yet was followed closely by His death on the cross.
We are to share in His suferings that we might also share in His Glory. And Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4 that "...we should not lose heart...for we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power [in us] may be of God and not from ourselves. We are afflicted, in every way, but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed (sounds like a song we sing around here...); always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the LIFE of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. We are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.... SO we don't lose heart, though our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed (and how sweet it is) every day...because momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond comparison...for we are not looking [perspective] at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal...we walk by faith, not by sight."
