Surprised at suffering

I've been thinking about suffering a lot lately, what with the world-at-large falling to pieces around me, my friends going through their own trials, and me mine. Just yesterday, as I was flying home after a wonderful holiday, I overheard a conversation between two ladies sitting behind me: the one was coming down from Joburg specially to visit a friend who had been rushed to hospital that morning. It seems that if you're alive, you just can't escape suffering.

It's apt then, that the following verse popped up at Bible study:

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.
- 1 Peter 4:12

I wonder why Peter thought to write do not be surprised to his audience. Anyone in this day and age would be well aware that no-one escapes suffering. But even in this age of interconnectedness and hyperlinkedness, we as a people, as humankind, ARE surprised.

I've reached one general conclusion: The world's natural state is NOT to be one of suffering, and we recognise this in our responses of surprise to suffering. In being surprised at suffering, we recognise that there is another ideal that we subconsciously aspire to.

I've also reached another conclusion, however. Having been a Christian for a while, and having known the above truth for a while, I still find myself angry and surprised when people I know, friends, family, loved ones, find themselves suffering. And, I've come to realize that in some ways, as a Christian, I'm more surprised than before that we do suffer. My logic is as follows:
I know the almighty, loving Creator of the universe;
I am now His Child;
Why does He let me suffer like this?

I suppose my response is a natural one - after all, aren't we more hurt when loved ones, trusted ones, close ones disappoint us or let us down? Many times we forgive strangers far more easily than those who should've known better. I suppose at the root of my response is a selfish, sinful desire that God do what I want for MY life, not what He has ordained is best. I suppose it's a comfort that the One who is letting us go through suffering is the Only One who can see what the future holds and has deemed me able to go through what I need to go through. But for now, for good reasons, and selfish, I remain to be surprised at suffering.

Loving God isn't always easy

but sometimes Pop Songs speak Truth...

Cheryl Cole's song 'Fight for this love' is currently playing on the airwaves, and every time I hear it, I am reminded that...

We gotta fight, fight, fight, fight, fight for this love
If it's worth having, it's worth fighting for

Not that it's meant to be a Christian song, as such. God just knows that I sometimes need to be reminded of the truth through cultural means :)

[BTB, before I looked up the lyrics, I had heard the last line quoted above as "It's like heaven; it's worth fighting for"... So actually, my version really was tailor-made for me o.O]

Future factors?

I've been thinking about my future a lot (as always), as even though I seem to know what I'm doing within the next few days/ weeks/ (sometimes) months, I don't have a five year plan. Or a two year plan. Last year's one year plan was to finish my thesis, which should be happening at the end of this year... So it means panic stations again.

Having said that, I know I'm not alone in my 'ooh, aah, future, eek, what do i do'-ness. Recently I got an email from a friend asking for advice with regards to what he should be doing in the near future, or what his gifts were so that he could use that to guide his decisions.

After much thought (okay, a few minutes), I replied:

gosh, I have no idea. But what I can say that we've been given gifts, yes, but we've also been given heart. And I think that God gives us heart (passion, drive) to help us decide what gifts we're to use for his glory.

So what do you LOVE doing?

I was reminded of this again last night, when a friend related the following scene from the movie Chariots of Fire. Eric Liddell, the main character, is a Christian athlete, and is asked in frustration by his sister when he's ever going to do something for God instead of running the whole time. He responds:

I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.

In the film, he ends up using this passion and the opportunities it brings into his life to further God's purpose- he ends up as an Olympic athletics coach in China where he also works as a missionary.

I'm not saying we should be dictated by what we love doing - I might love playing golf, but it might be an absolutely daft thing for me to be doing if I e.g. particularly suck at it. [BTB, I dislike golf. Intensely.] However, I think there's wisdom in not only assessing what you're good at/ gifted at, but also what you enjoy doing :).

Good. Now if someone could only tell me what I should be doing!! ....

Disclaimer: Now I know this post is potentially controversial, and it won't be helpful for everyone, so use it if you like, but don't use it if you don't want to.

Fear is for those who forget who God is

1 Samuel 17:48

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.

I recently saw this verse written out and stuck up on someone's wall. It struck me - in the midst of the Israelites fear of Goliath, it was David, God's chosen one, who ran not away from battle, but towards it.

"Foolish boy", was my first thought.

"Actually, no wait" was my second. What David was doing wasn't foolish at all because he knew that God was with him and for Israel.

I'm not saying that we should run towards troubles and crises - the Bible very clearly says that we are to FLEE from all temptation etc. But I was particularly challenged by the difference that knowing God made in David's response to this situation - he had no fear because he knew God and what He was capable of.

Do we have the same attitude? Me, not really. I forget how powerful God is and end up fearing people more than I do Him. You?

Cracked glasses, no change

Some people are meant to wear glasses. They put on a pair, and immediately they becoem ever so dignified, cool, smart, intellectual. I recently met one of these people - a guy who had the coolest geek glass frames ever. Disturbingly, however, his one lense had a noticeable crack right down the middle.

I didn't know whether I should say something or not- I myself had been an owner of a pair of glasses that been cracked across the top, and over the last year or so [yes, I'm that lazy and yes, it took me that long to get new glasses] had gotten oh-so-tired of people telling me Grace! Your glasses are cracked! Did you know?!?!!

But then I thought, heck, I'm going to tell him anyway. So I did. And ironically enough, he responded in the same way that I had to everyone: "Thanks. But I can't see it when I have my glasses on, so it doesn't bother me." Hearing this come out from someone else's mouth made me pause.. Then I wondered aloud: "So, it's actually just me that's affected by it? Not you?" "Exactly", he said. "I'll get new glasses eventually, but it's no problem now."

This incident made me think about how we so easily become frustrated when people don't change after hearing the gospel. They who can't see the crack in the glasses, will see no need to change the glasses. Us who can see the crack won't understand how they can't see it and why they're so reluctant to do anything about it.

Sometimes, they do take off the glasses and see the crack for themselves. Most of the time, however, even after having warned them numerous times, they won't - and that's just something we're going to have to accept.

Adoption- a thought

When I grow up, I want to adopt.

There're many good reasons to that I won't go into here, but something that's particuarly pertinent to us as Christians is because we too have been adopted- into a most holy and loving Family.

This is for you [if your name is Goat* or Eloff*]

I don't often dedicate whole posts to people, but I thought I would today. Just because I've been thinking about hospitality recently and because today I was particuarly thinking of two people :)

So number 1: Goat*.

Goat has had to put up with so much - nonsensical SMSs, random existential crises, bad guy decisions and the consequences thereof, failed baking bread projects and mad, crazy, laughter-punctuated international phonecalls where neither of us really knew what we were talking about. Most recently, she had me stay with her for a week and a half where she played my driver and PA [which doesn't sound like much unless you know me personally and have an idea of the crazy itineraries I can come up with :)]

Her generosity and hospitality overwhelmed me, as I'm baaaaad at playing hostess and can only put up with treating people like guests for a short bit before I tell them to do what they want themselves. I'm especially amazed as I'm the morning type. And she's not. And sometimes my own chirpiness irks me in the morning, so I have no idea how it must be for others around me! But she very gamely tried to come up with complete sentence responses to my overthetopramblingseversoexcitedlyohyesisitonlynowsevenoclockinthemorningohwhoopsshallimakeyousomecoffeegoat? and more importantly, didn't behead me once! Yay for Goat and Grace...



Number 2: Eloff*

Every now and then, Eloff will get a random SMS from me going "Hey, I'm in the area, can I come over?" Fair enough, you might think. This is what friends are for, aren't they? True. I should probably tell you now that inevitably, most of the SMSs continue in this fashion: "Oh, I haven't eaten yet."/ "I'm staaarving"/ "Ummm." Eloff has very kindly let me raid his fridge every time I come over. This is why I keep on coming over. [Jokes :)]. But yay. Thanks :)
[Yes, you're right. I raided it today and that's why I'm writing this post right now.]


And to all you other wonderful people who are my friends.. thanks :)


G

*For privacy's sake, the names of the people concerned have been changed.