January 28, 2014, Atlanta, GA is facing an affliction that it is for which we are never prepared.
Snow! So far, we've had about a half an inch, but all we need to cause widespread panic on the streets of our Southern city. And since we only experience this once in about three or four years, we really never learn how from it.
Unfortunately, we can go through life similarly. Because we manage to avoid pain, when it hits we can overreact. Certainly, we forgive the overreactions of our children when they stub their toe or pinch their finger in a door. Good parents teach their children how to anticipate and how to handle pain, which invariable comes to us all. Thankfully, those who follow Jesus Christ have the benefit of a Heavenly Father who knows how to use affliction for our good.
JI Packer, now well into his eighties, provides a great explanation for how God uses affliction in our lives:
“God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with other afflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives. Felt weakness deepens dependence on Christ for strength each day. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away. To live with your ‘thorn’ uncomplainingly — that is, sweet, patient, and free in heart to love and help others, even though every day you feel weak — is true sanctification. It is true healing for the spirit. It is a supreme victory of grace.” ― J.I.
Snow! So far, we've had about a half an inch, but all we need to cause widespread panic on the streets of our Southern city. And since we only experience this once in about three or four years, we really never learn how from it.
Unfortunately, we can go through life similarly. Because we manage to avoid pain, when it hits we can overreact. Certainly, we forgive the overreactions of our children when they stub their toe or pinch their finger in a door. Good parents teach their children how to anticipate and how to handle pain, which invariable comes to us all. Thankfully, those who follow Jesus Christ have the benefit of a Heavenly Father who knows how to use affliction for our good.
JI Packer, now well into his eighties, provides a great explanation for how God uses affliction in our lives:
“God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with other afflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives. Felt weakness deepens dependence on Christ for strength each day. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away. To live with your ‘thorn’ uncomplainingly — that is, sweet, patient, and free in heart to love and help others, even though every day you feel weak — is true sanctification. It is true healing for the spirit. It is a supreme victory of grace.” ― J.I.
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