Perspective

Over the last month, The Hard Truth has been in hibernation, for lack of a better word. The motivation to sit down and cover topics unrelated to the personal struggles being endured has been all but non-existent. This blog has been on my mind lately and therefore in an effort to re-ignite my determination and free up the gears from the writer's block I've been experiencing, I offer the first post in over a month. Sorry for the wait.

Perspective.

It's what I've gained, and I truly believe the Lord has brought it to me in the trials that I and my family have faced over the past few months. I've heard over and over again that some of the essentials of the Christian life are devotion, faith, and submission. But submitting to the Lord's will can often be hard to do, especially when we find ourselves comfortable in our daily lives, in a routine or seemingly without much difficulty, then suddenly facing a terrifying illness or struggle. This was how I used to look at life, as one who knew I was blessed with much, but never having had to face the real tribulation life had to offer. Never having had my faith truly tested. Sure, I'd seen hard times. Everything you could imagine I thought I'd seen it in one form or another.

But I had never faced a serious crisis as a parent and as a Christian. Questioning what purpose God might have in the struggle that involves my child's health and why He would bring it into my life and his. I had the "sure it happens, but it just happens to other people" mentality.

If you have been blessed with few troubles, enjoy your time without such hardship, for life will eventually change. And it will change for the worst. In one way or another and given enough time, you will face difficulty and the struggles will come. Whether it be death, illness, financial or personal issues or a myriad of other crisis, tribulation will enter your life. It is the truth of human life in this world. The Lord Jesus in John 16, verse 33 says, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

As Christians, here for a time but really citizens of God's Heavenly Kingdom, the Lord tells us that we are not to be anxious, we are not to worry and we are to rejoice in our struggles and trials, especially when they come as a result of our obedience to Him. His overcoming of the world offers we who believe in Him that same hope, that anything that would trouble us can be overcome through Him. Meaning that when we trust in His authority over our lives, we can trust that He will care for us and work things out to our ultimate benefit. In Romans 8:28 it reads, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Prior to anything as severe and difficult as the health struggles my wife and I have experienced with our baby over the last three months, prior troubles, as scary and difficult as they may have seemed at the time, now pale in comparison. Everyday issues that used to trouble our hearts come and go like leaves on the wind to us now, nearly without notice. So very much like the Lord's work to bring you to Himself in a way that magnifies His power in your life, and minimizes all else, especially our dependence on our own skills and ingenuity.

The Hard Truth is that once you get past the small stuff (if that's all your life has been until now), and begin to plumb the depths of the struggles that make up this life, in this world and in these frail and short-lived bodies, you learn very quickly that you are not in control. Really of anything at all. You learn that God is the one in control. And when the Lord teaches you that He's running the show, you find you prefer the reality that He's in control over the illusion that you are.

Leave it to Him and believe in Him, and He'll watch your back. He certainly has been watching mine. As you move down the track your perspective changes. Thanks to the Lord that He's the one producing the scenery.

What a savior! What a friend!