Clarification... plus a few thoughts...

I was reading the comments from my last post, and it occurred to me that I needed to clarify something....

It would be really easy to infer from my last post that I buy into the philosophy that says "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I can see how one could arrive at that conclusion, but it's actually not the case. In fact, I have a very strong gut reaction to that statement. I'd phrase it more like this:

" Whatever doesn't kill you can wound you deeply. Healing comes from God
and is available to the wounded, so that what was hurt can be re-built better
than before. Healing can also be rejected. We can choose to dwell in
our wounded state, learn nothing but self-pity, and grow no stronger -
eventually to die. Whatever kills you is a more direct route to life
in the form of resurrection."

But, of course, that doesn't make a great catch phrase, now does it?

I also caught sight of a comment on another blog about going through the fire (thanks, Cath!). It reminded me of the scripture... (actually, I smucked myself on the forehead and wondered how I could have forgotten about this one...)

I Peter 1:

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have
had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your
faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may
be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is
revealed.

Ummmm.... Does it get any clearer than that? Suffering through trials has a purpose. The result is good in the end - the very end, that is. Not necessarily in my lifetime, but ultimately my faith being proved genuine will bring praise to God. At least that's how I read it. I think it helps to remember that God has a perspective that we don't have. He already knows how it's going to turn out. We, for the most part, stumble through and struggle to hold on to the knowledge that God knows what He's doing - even if He's choosing not to let us in on it. But that's another bunny trail.

I had another thought over the last couple of days. This one was about the time Jesus spent in the garden before his crucifixion. If I recall, it went like this:

Luke 22:

41 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,
42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours
be done."

I would, perhaps, paraphrase it this way:

"Y'know, Dad... this doesn't look like it's going to be easy. Are you
sure there isn't another way? ANY other way? *sigh*****
Alright. I know. If it has to be this way then I'll do it. I
know I can trust your judgement. If you say it has to be this
way,..... well,..... okay."

Did you see that? Even Jesus didn't go running into suffering! He went, but not before asking the question. Cool. We can ask, too. Maybe there's another way. Maybe there isn't. Sometimes, I think, (oh, please correct me if I'm wrong - I'm just musing by the seat of my pants again!) we have a choice about whether or not we take a certain path that we can foresee will be painful. Should we ask? Of course. Just because a path is in front of us doesn't mean it's the one God has for us. And I'm a big believer in the "free will of man". But that is another bunny trail, and I think I will choose not to follow it right now.

So.... how's my work in progress so far?