Heroes: Success and Suffering
If you listen to much Bible teaching today, you will inevitably hear the message that if you believe God enough you will always get what you want. Physical healing, financial success, and high social position are touted as things that can be experienced if one has enough “faith”. Maybe that message is carried by more than just those slick-haired, silver-tongued devils on radio and television. Maybe the same message is presented subtly in our multi-million dollar facilities, our slick worship service presentations, and our neat, tidy educational programs. If that is the case, we need a reality check.
While Hebrews 11 details the lives and events of the most notable Old Testament saints, it concludes with an important caveat. Stating that the accounts of great victories of faith are too numerous to recount in detail (v. 32-35a), the author also states that there were many who suffered terribly (v. 35b-38)…by faith! This reality was becoming all too true during the time that the book of Hebrews was written. The list of those who paid the ultimate price for their faith is long. From the stoning of Stephen to the torture of Christians in the catacombs, many Christ followers have experienced everything but health, wealth, and prosperity in their faith. Although this may be a little disconcerting for some, this truth is liberating for all in the end.
From this truth we learn that we don’t have to be a star to be hero. There are many people who live a life of faith in Christ out front for all to see, but the overwhelming majority of faithful Christ followers live behind the curtain of the public stage. We also learn that suffering is not always a punishment for sin. Many people throughout history have been called upon to suffer, and even die, for the glory of God! Additionally, we learn that success and suffering both are valuable only as much as they are associated with faith in God.
These truths have been huge in my life. After recently discovering that I had been struggling with depression for a while, I learned that the important question in life is not always “why” we suffer, but “how” we suffer. Trusting God to be good for His promises day by day, and trusting daily that He rewards the person diligently seeking Him protects us in the days of success and sustains us in times of suffering. By faith, nothing has to be wasted in life including those times when you feel like nothing more than a miserable failure.
The question is, “Are you living by faith?” Even when you aren’t experiencing great “profits” in life, are you doing what is right anyway? Are you acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God even when it doesn’t feel so good? What encouragement do you find in realizing that we can suffer productively in life “by faith”? How would this truth change what we do as a church, if anything?
Some of you have been too quiet for too long! Can’t wait to hear from you.
Love you all,
tim
June 12th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Suffering productively? What a thought. I know my faith is strengthened when I’m in need of God’s protection and support - that’s productive. Dwelling in our own pain or discouragement only brings others down.
“Living on the mountain top is not as exciting as the climb.” I need the struggle and the down times to remind me of my need for continued contact with God’s word and my faith is buoyed.
June 12th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
“Suffer” is an interesting word. By the world’s definition, we - as Christians - truly have suffered. Physical, financial, mental, and emotional suffering is something that the world knows all to well and tries almost everything to avoid - including more suffering!
I take comfort in the fact that this suffering is like every other thing of earth…it will cease to exist. My faith will continue on.
June 14th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
The joy of suffering is the knowing that Christ suffers with me. He is there never far away. He is there suffering when I can no longer see with these earthly eyes. He is there no matter the outcome my suffering and he always is working for my good.
One suffering that I will never suffer because of Christ is the suffering of God’s abandonment. Christ suffered that suffering alone and because of him that is one suffering I will not endure. Praise God
June 16th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Without ‘bad times’, how would we know how blessed we are during our ‘good times’?
Without knowing illness, how can we feel blessed when we are feeling well? Hopefully, tough times will bring us closer to God, depending on Him to help us through them and praying whole heartedly to Him.
Our lives here on earth are only temporary. Our suffering is only temporary. I hope that when I’m suffering I can keep my focus on the fact that thanks to the horrible suffering Christ experienced, my suffering is only temporary and that before I know it I’ll no longer be suffering but standing in His glorious presence, in awe. I also know it’s easier said than done and that it’s easy to be optimistic when we aren’t suffering.
As a church, suffering or not, I think we just need to be reminded that this life is short lived. We don’t need to focus on worldly things. Our focus should be on Godly things.
June 25th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Suffering. I don’t know that we as Americans (in general) know what that is. There is the poor, and homeless, who certainly suffer from some want, and ideal conditions. But if they are willing, or able, to “do for themselves” enough, there is a way to alleviate some of that through many organizations and intervention programs. (Of course, that’s a whole discussion in itself.) But I don’t know that we truly understand what it is to suffer. Many in other countries do, as they have been unfairly accused, inprisoned, tortured. Many of them because of their faith. But then, there are different kinds of suffering. Physical, mental, social, and emotional, especially when it concerns those we love. We suffer in loss, and in hard times. But to suffer for your faith seems rather foreign here. True, lots of things are happening to try and end many of our religious freedoms. But so far we have not had to suffer much because of that. Not yet. I can in no way wrap my mind around what Christ suffered. To even begin to see it is almost overwhelming, mainly because He did it willingly for us! I agree, thanks to Him, we will never really know the extent of what we may have had to suffer!
February 24th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Hello. I just moved to the Miami area. I am looking for a solid company to help me with a refinance. I purchased the house from a short sale and had to do business over the phone because I was living in Az. I dont think that I got a good deal. My interest rate in now 6.99 percent. I think that I can refinance and get a much better deal. Please point me in the right direction.
February 27th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Wow Check out this rumor…..
ABC will announce Monday that TLC reality star Kate Gosselin will be one of the hoofers on the next round of “Dancing With the Stars,” according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
At press time, the deal was virtually done for the now-divorced mother of eight to become one of the celebrities vying for the cheesetastic Mirrored Disco Ball.
This will be the fulfillment of a dream for Gosselin who, on Jay Leno’s ill-fated prime-time show, said she’d like to be on “Stars” because she can’t dance. “I want to laugh at myself,” Gosselin told Leno. “I so cannot dance.”
Will you Watch?
February 28th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Hey everyone what do you think of this! Pretty crazy stuff! I don’t think anyone is going to stop young people from partying but what do my fellow moms think?
At Virginia Tech, where tailgating and raucous apartment complex parties are time-honored rituals, university officials are turning increasingly to Mom and Dad to curb problem underage drinking.
This semester, the school in Blacksburg, Va., began notifying parents when their under-21 students are found guilty of even minor alcohol violations such as getting caught with a beer in a dorm room.
Although it’s common for colleges to alert parents of major alcohol offenses — or when a student faces suspension — Virginia Tech is part of a small but growing number sending letters home on minor ones.
The debate about how much to involve parents in such cases is a balancing act for colleges and universities. Officials want to hold young adults accountable as they venture out on their own, are well aware that drinking is part of the college experience, and also recognize potential allies in a generation of hands-on parents who can help when things go too far.
“I think it helps students open up to parents,” said Steven Clarke, director of Virginia Tech’s College Alcohol Abuse Prevention Center. “And parents can be helpful in setting boundaries students might need.”
The beefed-up parental notification policy is part of a broader strategy that includes alcohol-education classes and a “party positive” program that encourages responsible drinking.
The student reaction to the policy change, not surprisingly, has been less than enthusiastic.
“If you have one beer in the dorm and you get caught, I don’t feel like parents should be notified,” said Erik Pryslak, a junior engineering major. “Now that we’re all in college, we’re all adults. It’s kind of your responsibility to take care of yourself. If you want to make your parents aware you’re about to be kicked out of school, then it’s on you.”
Studies show that students who say their parents would disapprove of them drinking are less likely to drink heavily once they get to college, said Toben Nelson, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health who has studied campus drinking.
At Virginia Tech, the school has operated on a “three strikes” system for years: Students get one strike for a minor alcohol violation and two for a major one — things like getting a DUI or vomiting all over a residence hall bathroom. Three strikes and a student is suspended for at least one semester.
After a spate of alcohol-related deaths on college campuses, Congress in the late 1990s changed student privacy laws to lower barriers to parental notification in cases involving students under 21.
Schools took a wide array of approaches in response. Virginia Tech started notifying parents of under-21 students after major alcohol offenses or when a student had accumulated two strikes with two minor ones.
But some parents complained that because they had not been notified of minor offenses, they were in the dark until a student was suddenly facing suspension, said Edward Spencer, Virginia Tech’s vice president for student affairs. Hence the change this semester — a move Spencer says also reflects changing times.
Parents of Generation X students were often reluctant to get involved when the school invoked an emergency clause in privacy laws and alerted them of alcohol problems, he said.
“The response would be, ‘You know, I’m leaving on a cruise. I’m going to a class reunion.’”
But today, parents of millennials tend to be tethered by cell phone to children who studies show often idolize their parents — so it makes sense to go a step further in parental involvement, he said.
“We’d like to strike a happy medium,” Spencer said. “We’re grateful for the positive involvement of parents. We find it difficult when their involvement is over-involvement.”
Research has found more than 40 percent of college students reported at least one symptom of alcohol abuse or dependance. One recent study estimated that more than 500,000 full-time students at four-year colleges suffer injuries each year related to drinking, and about 1,700 die in such accidents.
“When it comes to safety, there really is a fine line,” said Max DiSesa, a sophomore from Durham, N.H. “I completely understand Virginia Tech and they want to keep people safe. But I think this might be overall detrimental to the growth of students.”
Some universities already have found success alerting parents earlier. The University at Albany, State University of New York has seen a decline in repeat offenders since it began notifying parents of under-21 students of minor alcohol violations four years ago, said Laurie Garafola, director of residential life.
“I don’t send many second letters out to parents,” she said.
At the University of North Carolina Wilmington, the philosophy is different. The school — which like many others stresses shared responsibility to parents and students during summer orientation — does not notify parents of minor offenses. Parents, however, are notified before any under-21 student is suspended.
“Part of students coming to college is to learn how to be a responsible adult — and hopefully learn from their mistakes,” said Patricia Leonard, vice chancellor for student affairs.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
March 2nd, 2010 at 12:30 am
Hey I saw this on E! news…. Do you guys think people should keep pets that are so dangerous when they have little kids?
Another sad dose of real life has hit the family of a reality TV star.
The 4-year-old daughter of Ax Men slinger Jesse Browning has been mauled to death by the family’s Rottweiler.
Ashlynn Anderson’s body was discovered by her mother outside on the lawn Sunday, according to officials in Astoria, Ore., where the family resides.
“Apparently, the dog just snapped,” says Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin. “We have detectives working on investigating set the dog off]…We are going to give the family a day or two to grieve before we interview them.”
Browning called 911 and the girl was airlifted to a Portland hospital, but pronounced dead on arrival.
There was no immediate comment from the History Channel, which airs the popular lumberjack series.
Bergin says the attack came four months to the day after deputies removed a Rottweiler from the premises after it attacked an adult family member; that animal was euthanized. The Brownings’ two other Rottweilers have been quarantined at a shelter and are awaiting their fate.
“It’s from my understanding…only one of the dogs was involved in the attack but both dogs were seized by animal control services,” said Alan Oja, assistant chief of the Astoria Police Department, which received the initial dispatch.
“It’s a terrible tragedy.”
March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
lime green aerospoke
March 23rd, 2010 at 7:49 am
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