Life is a struggle; no doubt about it. Every moment of every day we are struggling. Struggling to study, pay the bills, finish a paper, put the kids to bed (if you have any), get home for dinner on time, make shopping plans, practice a sermon, schedule doctor appointments, and make time for friends - to name just a few. We struggle not to worry about the things that cause us frustration and stress. We struggle not to be stressed and then we struggle not to struggle. We struggle to stay on top of things, and we struggle to give all control to God. All the while God is telling us to take our eyes off the things of this world and focus for just a second on him. These struggles are the daily, routine ones that occur in everyday life. But life consists of more than just these kinds of trials.
Many people - no - all people deal with some kind of life-altering struggle. Many times it's the death of a loved one, a sudden disease, a tragic car accident, unhealthy relationships, loss of a career, abandonment, estrangement, harassment, addiction, depression, alcoholism, pornography, rape, abuse, fear, poverty, divorce, or bullying - and I haven't covered half of them. These struggles threaten to tear apart families, drive people to suicide, break hearts, and kill spirits.
One of the greatest struggles in my life occurred when I was thirteen and we moved from our home town in Fort Wayne, Indiana to third-world Christiana, Jamaica. My parents had become missionaries. At that time, being a missionary to me meant sacrifice. It meant moving away from my home, my church, my school, my friends, and my family. It meant a big change I felt unprepared for. And it meant I was not in control and suddenly my future was not this straight line that I had so ignorantly imagined it to be when I was a junior higher.
While I eventually learned to love my life as an MK because I found my joy in God and in following his will, I will never forget the struggle I went through, nor how it impacted my life. Having lived only 19 years, I know I have so many more lessons to learn and trials to experience. And now being able to look back on my struggles, I begin to understand how very blessed I am. My struggles are little compared to the girl sold into prostitution in India, or the Christians being persecuted in Laos. But lately I've been learning not to minimize God's heart; he is big enough to care about each and every one of the little things we struggle with in life as he does for the big things. And he does care. Enormously. He does not like to see us hurt, to see us fall. That is why as we are walking, climbing, and sometimes stumbling through this life, it is immensely important that we have God standing beside us, directing our steps, helping us off the ground, and even carrying us at times when our strength is not enough. Because though God does not like to see us suffer, he has made it clear that to be a follower of God, it is something we must endure.
My thinking has changed a lot in the last few years as I have handed over my mind to God to transform. Being a Christian does not mean we will have to endure meaningless hardships that will suck all the joy and purpose out of life. Rather, being a Christian means we have the enormous honor of accepting the commission from the Most High God and sharing in his glory so that lost sheep might find their shepherd and be brought home to the kingdom of God. Paul tells us so bluntly what to expect in this life in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28.
"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?"
This verse is not saying that we will all be persecuted in this fashion because of our faith. But God's Word is intent when it states that we will have trials in this life directly because we choose to follow him. But we should "consider it pure joy... whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-4). Through our trials we also "...rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4).
Paul, after enduring many struggles states, in 2 Timothy 4:7, a very simple statement, or a victorious proclamation. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." We are not here to toil on this earth for all eternity. We struggle and we fight against the spiritual forces of this earth, we are shaken, crushed, persecuted, and struck down. But God's promises will not come back void. We will one day see the face of Jesus and worship with every tribe, tongue, and nation. God's victory will ring forth from every mountaintop. We do not labor in vain. We labor because we have hope in the victory that is coming.
Paul's statement was a statement of faith carried out to victory. He lived his life for God and though he suffered, he knew God was always in control and at the end of the day, the victory belongs to him and him alone. And I know that at the end of my life I want to go to heaven and hear my God say to me, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
What do you want to hear? By that time, the struggles we endure on this earth will be but mere echoes and whispers, dying and fading into nothingness as we dwell in the eternal light of our Savior God.
Here is my challenge. Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Keep the faith. You will not be disappointed.
