Perseverance

https://odb.org/MY/2022/04/28/growing-in-faith

Every believer knows that trials and tribulations is part of Christian life. They are very much part of life as life is not a bed of roses ever after as in “happily ever after”. Life is life. It is not a fairy tale and neither is it a fantasy in our heads. Things happen, people get hurt, we get hurt. People get sick, people die. We suffer illnesses. We suffer losses. There are ups and downs. It’s never smooth sailing. Its waters can be as calm as that of a lake or as turbulent as the Indian Ocean.

Christian life is however fraught with more trials and tribulations, mainly because we are not to conform to the pattern of this world. We live our Christian life based on a different set of standards (right-side up) and sometimes we go through some trials because of the stand we make for Jesus. For example, we disagree with certain practices of our work organisation and we resign for ethical reasons. Some resign only after they found another job. Some resign immediately without a next job. Some resign for a lower paying job. But suffice to say, we will go through some hardship and suffering for making our stand for God. Or we follow God’s leading and there is a price to pay to be a working missionary in a spiritually closed or dark country.

I think the message today is that even as we go through life with probably more trials and tribulations as a believer compared to the man in the street, those suffering and hardship have some meaning for us in our Christian life, itt is not in vain. As a believer, God does a work inside us as we suffer but persevere. Bitterness in life makes everyone stronger but as a Christian, we will also grow in maturity in Christ. To be matured as a Christian is to live wisely and faithfully and that means we live harmoniously with our beliefs i.e. our actions are always consistent with our faith. We live as Christ would want us to. We are the same inside and out. We don’t be nice in front, but stab at the back.

We see pillars of faith, great men and women of God and we marvel at them. That’s on the surface. More often than not, there was much that had gone on before and unseen to the public. It’s like the 50 takes to make that perfect 30 secs clip. So much work and perseverance. To have maturity in our faith – we cannot avoid the hardship and suffering that comes with it. Persevere through, let God work in us and we will see the results in us in time to come. We will one day be the person God wants us to be. Amen!