Hope
Have you ever been through a situation that rips your soul? There have been some situations in my life where I could not find any good and I did not see a way through. A cancer diagnosis, the death of a child, filing for bankruptcy, a spouse leaving you for someone else - all of these situations are so serious that they cut right to the heart, and they cam make us wonder if God really cares for us. We know God is love, but that doesn't stop us from asking ourselves, "If God loves me so much, why would He allow me to experience so much pain?"
There was a time in my life where I lost a spouse, a baby, most of my money, my health, and almost my job. I asked a Christian friend of mine why God was allowing this to happen to me, and they told me that sometimes God turns His back on His children. Those words were momentarily devastating, but they didn't sit with me for long, because they weren't true. A scripture came to mind: Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Those words are pretty clear, aren't they? God never abandons His children and nothing or no one can make Him.
Sometimes Christians give well meaning personal advice. Sometimes Christians misquote or misapply scripture. Sometimes Christians say things simply to make us feel better or change our behavior, but unless their advice, words, or quotations are rooted in the Bible and are used in the appropriate context, they can do more harm than good. It is important to check all advice, even from Christians, against the Word of God.
It is true that everyone in this world suffers. We suffer in different ways and to different extremes, but everyone suffers. Suffering with the knowledge that Christ is in control and has a plan to make all things right, is infinitely better than suffering as an opponent of Christ. With Christ, there is always hope. Without Christ, life is hopeless.
In our suffering, God will either make a way through or He will bring us to Himself. One of those paths seems more attractive to me than the other at this phase of my life. But when He does bring me home to be with Him, my hope in Christ will be fulfilled. With Christ, our soul, the very essence of who we are is always safe. No one can snatch us out of the hand of God.
There was a time in my life where I lost a spouse, a baby, most of my money, my health, and almost my job. I asked a Christian friend of mine why God was allowing this to happen to me, and they told me that sometimes God turns His back on His children. Those words were momentarily devastating, but they didn't sit with me for long, because they weren't true. A scripture came to mind: Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Those words are pretty clear, aren't they? God never abandons His children and nothing or no one can make Him.
Sometimes Christians give well meaning personal advice. Sometimes Christians misquote or misapply scripture. Sometimes Christians say things simply to make us feel better or change our behavior, but unless their advice, words, or quotations are rooted in the Bible and are used in the appropriate context, they can do more harm than good. It is important to check all advice, even from Christians, against the Word of God.
It is true that everyone in this world suffers. We suffer in different ways and to different extremes, but everyone suffers. Suffering with the knowledge that Christ is in control and has a plan to make all things right, is infinitely better than suffering as an opponent of Christ. With Christ, there is always hope. Without Christ, life is hopeless.
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