Christ Over Comfort

Hebrews 2:13

13 And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,”

I usually like to cover a few verses and expand on what God is telling us.  Just covering one verse isn’t really my thing.  But today, I feel emotionally empty.  I type with a lump in my throat and really verse 13 just kept sticking out.  And lucky for you, our devotion team is awesome and has covered chapters 1 & 2 like the champs we all know they are.  So if you bear with me… I am going to write about something I call “my little sufferings.”  

I call them little because although they are huge moments for me, in the grand scheme of the universe, they are tiny.  In comparison to the persecution by death this Hebrew audience was facing, I don’t even feel like I should call it suffering… they are really just typical life events.  

So without further ado, a simple open letter to my God about some of my little sufferings.

When I was small, I decided:  I will put my trust in You.

And when my parents fought, I put my trust in you.  When we had good times, I put my trust in you.

When my parents split up and I was caught in between the fire and fury, I chose to make you my  ultimate father.  And again,before I told you good night, I put my trust in you.

When I was a teen, our house foreclosed, I lost almost all my possessions, with a lump in my throat, I put my trust in you.  

And when things got worse and more relatives yelled, I did question you a little but I had no one else to turn to, I trusted you.  

And again, when I was seventeen years old and had to watch my dad, brother in law, and four year old niece bury my oldest sister, Lord, I trusted you.  I trusted you.  I thanked you.  I trusted you.  

And as life moved on, when things were the hardest to bear and I my pillow was soaked in tears, I cried out to you.  Again and again, I cried out and trusted you.  

And today, as I aid my sisters in caring for my dad has he endures chemo … As I watch him instantly age over 6 months... As I watch him lull his one month old grandson to sleep, then see him love his eight year old son … And again, as I got bad news that crushes and frustrates me to pieces, again and again, I will trust in you. 

Church, I am not a good example of always trusting in him.  You see, when life is at its hardest, clinging onto God is the easiest.  It is when I am not enduring small sufferings that I fail to trust God in the little things.  

So allow me to take it a next step further, suffering for Christ is a blessing.  

Romans 5: 3-5 “We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

We all want and live in a world that wants hope, wants to be complete, not lacking anything.  Paul tells us to consider trials aspure joy.  

So, will you plan “little suffering” into your summer?  (No dude, I am not asking you to look for pain. And I am talking to myself, too.)   But I am challenging you and me to grow our trust by seeking Christ over comfort. 

Let us love him and his people again and again.  Let us trust him again and again.  

Peace, love and hope church!

- Grace