Just Around the Corner

1 Peter 4
12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

1 Peter 4 (The Message)
12Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job.13Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

suf·fer ( P ) Pronunciation Key

(sfr)v. suf·fered, suf·fer·ing, suf·fers

v. intr.
To feel pain or distress; sustain loss, injury, harm, or punishment.
To tolerate or endure evil, injury, pain, or death. See Synonyms at bear1.
To appear at a disadvantage: “He suffers by comparison with his greater contemporary” (Albert C. Baugh).

v. tr.
To undergo or sustain (something painful, injurious, or unpleasant):
“Ordinary men have always had to suffer the history their leaders were making”
(Herbert J. Muller).
To experience; undergo: suffer a change in staff.
To endure or bear; stand: would not suffer fools.
To permit; allow: “They were not suffered to aspire to so exalted a position as that of streetcar conductor” (Edmund S. Morgan).

Call me crazy, but I find myself facinated by suffering in this season of my life. I've definitely encountered some farm fresh grade A crap in my current situation, but I don't know that I can call it suffering. People in Sudan are suffering. Matt Maupin's family is suffering. Homosexuals wrestling with an inner conviction that tortures their mind while living in a world that's trying to convince them that their torment is from without, are suffering. I've spent the last five years trying to inflate a balloon with a hole in it and every time we would get one hole patched another one would appear. It was a church plant that began with a lot of sick church people and a mismatched pastor for this community. Then it was a sick worship leader that began to control and manipulate the leaders. A prophet claiming my wife and I were causing division in the church came next. Then my existing leaders decided God wanted them somewhere else so they left immediately and complained that I didn't release them with comfort and dignity. They then managed to talk the family who said, "We're here as long as you're here!" into leaving (again, blaming God for the immediate departure). Oh, did I tell you this gentlemen left a message on my voicemail on Wednesday saying they were leaving and would not be able to fulfill his responsibilities on Sunday. Keep in mind that these were all people who swore they were my friends and would do anything for me. They were people who said, "We have grown so much under your ministry." I know I need some healing. I can't stand to go to Krogers for who I might run into.

Someone asked me how I deal with difficult circumstances. I could lie to you and rattle off some formula that includes deep breaths, counting to ten in Spanish and taking it to the Lord in prayer, but I'd be lying. It really depends on the context, my physical, emotional and spiritual condition, the alignment of the planets and whether I had Mexican the night before. Fortunately in every experience of pain whether I remember to call on God or not, He finds some way to say, "Hellllllllllllllloooooooooooooo. I'm here. I Am Here. I Am Loving--I have your best interesty in mind. I will not waste this experience of pain you're going through. I Am Strong--Nothing is impossible with me, and you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength!

1 Peter 4
12Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. 13Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

God is on the Job! I'm in the refining process. I can't wait to see what's around the next corner!