Overcoming our hardships

"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." — Romans 5:3-5

This week in our FOR series we looked at the concept of how God can use our suffering for our good, and the good of others. If anyone understood this idea, it was Paul. Paul didn't have an easy ministry. He was beaten, ship wrecked, snake bitten, and imprisoned for the Gospel. Yet his favorite themes were perseverance and joy. It seems counter intuitive, but God used Paul to offer hope and comfort to those enduring hard times.

The passage above, from Romans, is one of my favorites. I love the idea that our sufferings lead to hope. In Philippians, the book we're studying for the series, Paul constantly writes about joy despite the fact he is in chains and about to be put to death.

In Romans 13, he writes about respecting our Earthly leaders because God has put them in power for a reason. He does this during a time when the Roman Emperor was killing Christians for sport. Paul doesn't just write platitudes that we should follow, he gives us a model of remaining faithful and positive despite the most difficult of circumstances.

In my own life I wouldn't say I've suffered, at least not in the kind of terms we think about such things. But I've suffered frustrations and disappointments. And in all those cases, God has used that to point me in a different direction.

When I was in college, my singular focus was on becoming editor of the school paper as a senior. I had been a part of the staff for three years — one as a staff writer and two as sports editor — and I had done everything to put myself in position to get the job. Only I didn't. A previous editor didn't like me and soured the committee on my application, so I was passed over.

I was frustrated and upset. I thought about quitting school early (because I had enough credits to do so) and I felt lost. But a friend told me to think on it and pray. So I did. Not too long after, the person who got the job asked to meet with me. She told me she valued my experience and talent and wanted me to stay on the next year as the Executive Editor and as the editor in charge of the Features section.

I decided to do it, and it ended up being the best year of college. Not only that, it opened me up to something different. To that point I'd only ever written about sports. During that year, I wrote features, human interest stories, and my first set of movie reviews. It opened me up to skills, experiences, and passions that I maintain to this day.

I have had a few experiences like that. What I've learned is that times of disappointment, frustration, and sorrow require patience. As Paul says in Romans, they lead to hope, but it doesn't happen over night. And if anyone could appreciate that, it was Paul.