You take one look at the title of this post and conclude that I have taken leave of my senses. I sympathize with you because if I didn’t know what I now know, I would think so too. But before this is over, you too will start to joyfully embrace the beauty in affliction.
The Hidden Beauty In Affliction
On the face of it, there can be no beauty in affliction. The very definition of affliction connotes negativity. It stands for “disorder,” at its very best. And you know of course that no disorder is desirable at any time. Which is why we do everything to avoid affliction.
And yet, the bible is full of stories of affliction. It tells of great men of God who only became great after some form of affliction or another. We have talked earlier about the man Moses. To read how his affliction led to greatness, click here.
There is King David who went astray as an adulterer and a murderer before he suffered affliction. It was only when God applied His rod of affliction to his back that the man became a king. And not just any old King, but a King after God’s own heart. He said so himself, that the affliction caused him to learn God. He started to keep God’s ways. The King learned to embrace the beauty in affliction.
You Too Can Embrace The Beauty In Affliction
Think about this for a moment. All the lessons you remember came through suffering. Don’t we all go astray until some form of suffering brings us to our senses? Nobody learns a life lesson in the comfort zone.
David certainly didn’t and neither did any of the great men of God. But unless you actively discover and embrace the beauty in affliction, you will become a grumbler.
Additional Advantages When We Embrace The Beauty Of Affliction
You occasionally receive social media messages counseling Christians to pray less and develop character. Those who send out these messages believe that prayer will take you far but good character will take you farther.
Unfortunately, those who find afflictions a challenge cannot develop real character. On the other hand, those who welcome and embrace the beauty in affliction develop great character. Trust me, I am not making this up.
In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul explained how he was able to keep going in the face of real trouble. Here is a man who glories in tribulation. Translation? He has learned how to embrace the beauty in affliction. And the reason he does that is that he knows the advantages of such an attitude.
He knows that if you embrace the beauty in affliction, you will develop perseverance. Perseverance, in turn, leads to the development of character. Ah, precious quality and you can be sure that not many people demonstrate good character. Once you have good character, you have all you need to develop hope.
And hope does not disappoint or, as in the video above, “hope maketh not ashamed.” Simply click on it to watch and enjoy
Additionally, you hear of parents and psychologists pining for the resilience of old. An ability to embrace the beauty in affliction is how you develop resilience. Developing resilience is how life does not easily overwhelm you.
No Longer A Slave To The Church
This is how the world will stave off the flood of depression and suicide. And it all results from an ability to embrace the beauty in affliction. It was how our grandparents survived two world wars. And it is how they came through the great depression. They had learned to smile at and embrace the beauty in affliction.
We Share In Holiness When We Embrace The Beauty In Affliction
My favorite reason to embrace the beauty in affliction is that we learn God’s holiness. The courts may punish us for their own reasons, which don’t always work. Hence the high rate of recidivism.
Subscribe To Receive Our Weekly Post Directly In Your Inbox
Even our earthly fathers sometimes mete out punishment because they are angry. The bible says that they did it as seemed best to them. But God afflicts us for our profit.
Note, affliction is for our profit, which leads one to wonder why more of us fail to embrace the beauty in affliction. So you ask: what profit can there be in affliction? That as a simple answer. The profit in affliction is that it allows us to partake in God’s holiness.
This is particularly important as we see the end of the age drawing near. Because without holiness, no one will see God. And you know that our mission here is to see God face to face at the Rapture.
Other Advantages of Affliction
If you still need the motivation to embrace the beauty in affliction, there are several additional arguments. First, you have God’s guaranteed Presence in affliction. That is how you can be sure that though many, God delivers you out of all your afflictions.
Secondly, we get to be like Jesus. Don’t forget, it pleased God to bruise Jesus. Third, we have the capacity to overcome sin when we embrace the beauty in affliction.
We also see that if we don’t fight afflictions, God will Himself restore us and give us strength for living. Next, we have the possibility of an eternal weight of glory waiting for us in heaven.
The Comfort With Which You Have Been Comforted
The list can go on and on but standing out on its own is the ability to comfort others. You know how it is said that you cannot criticize a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes. Well, the Bible understands that concept quite well.
Until you have suffered affliction, God cannot comfort you. And until you have been comforted, you don’t know how to comfort those who are suffering. Therefore, we see affliction bringing you God’s comfort above everything else.
He does that so that you are better able to walk alongside those who are being afflicted. You get to be a counselor like no one else. But that demands that you learn to embrace the beauty in affliction.
It is fitting that we give the last word to James, the brother of Jesus. He says we should count it all joy when all sorts of troubles come our way. If you ask me, that sounds suspiciously like embracing afflictions.
Maranatha!
1 thought on “Embrace The Beauty In Affliction”
Comments are closed.