What a frustrating and disappointing life most Americans live and, sad to say, many believers as well. We are constantly seeking and pursuing ease, comfort, and convenience only to find that such a “quality of life” is fleeting and elusive at best. We deceive ourselves about the enduring nature of these longings. They prove time and again that they are momentary in nature while the predominant nature of life is difficult, challenging, and marked by setbacks and disappointments. I am not trying to paint a despairing picture, but one that is accurate and realistic with the hope of shaping a right attitude to daily living.
Consider these observations. Making a living is just plain hard work. Adam’s transgression in the garden of Eden guaranteed that. As a result of his disobedience, God told Adam, “cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life…in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:17-19). Nothing has changed since that time. Work may be different in kind, but not in character. We may sit at a desk instead of standing in a field, but we still go to bed tired every night.
Raising a family is hard work, too. The fact that we are all sinners gives that endeavor more than its share of difficulty and disappointments. We struggle to manage competing interests, schedules, and pursuits in the midst of uncooperative externalities. We find it hard to come together and easy to grow apart.
We find our lives are lived in a moment of time marked by tiring labor, frustrating endeavors, and too many disappointments. There are no do-overs. Our only option is to just pick up where we left off and move forward. All of this is carried out in bodies that increasingly reveal their mortality. We battle the threat of sickness from birth to death.
Sin has made life hard. That is reality. The fact that sin is universal means we all share in the struggles of living. That, too, is reality. Our relentless pursuit for ease, comfort, and convenience inevitably proves ultimately futile and leaves us disappointed, discouraged and discontent. Yet, God has given us a refuge.
The Apostle Paul wrote of a “thorn in the flesh” that he had “besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me”. But God answered him, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). The grace of God is the power that enables EVERY right response to ALL of life’s hardships, difficulties, and disappointments. His grace renews our dissipated strength to face each new labor. His grace gives wisdom to address the otherwise insurmountable complexities of raising a family. His grace gives power to live victoriously in the midst of sickness and declining health. This grace is in God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
Instead of chasing after that which we cannot obtain, let us draw upon the inexhaustible grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and live joyfully and victoriously in the midst of life’s hardships. This is the believer’s portion until Christ returns. Are you living by this grace?
From the Chaplain 