Embracing Uncertainty Series

He did all this during times of political unrest in China with several threats on his life. To be sure, Hudson Taylor embraced the uncertainties of life, all because he trusted God in every situation. Instead of trying to do life and ministry in his own strength, he relied on the Lord to do it all through him, trusting God’s will in everything.

You do the same. If you want to embrace the uncertainties of life, 1st, Enjoy the good days. 2nd, Trust God every day. And 3rd…

GROW IN THE BAD DAYS.

Gain wisdom in times of adversity. Learn the lessons that only hard times can teach you.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth (ESV).

It is better to come to the end of life with a good reputation (or a good name) than it is to start life with a good ointment, which is a symbol of joy (Ecclesiastes 9:8).

Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth (ESV).

Grieving death teaches you a whole lot more than celebrating life. You discover more wisdom in a funeral home than in a fun house. Grief teaches you more than joy.

And a rebuke teaches you more than laughter.

Ecclesiastes 7:5-7 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity. Surely oppression drives the wise into madness [or folly], and a bribe corrupts the heart (ESV).

Oppression and a bribe can turn a wise man into a fool. But another wise man’s rebuke can turn such a man back from his ruinous ways. That’s why a rebuke, though hard to hear, is better than the cackling laughter of fools. A rebuke can lead to lasting change. Cackling laughter is like thorns, which “burn quickly and noisily and are easily extinguished” (Schultz, Evangelical Commentary on the Bible).

Grief teaches you more than joy. A rebuke teaches you more than laughter.

And the end of a matter teaches you more than the beginning.

Ecclesiastes 7:8-10 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools. Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this (ESV).

Those who long for the “good old days” are fools, because the “good old days” were not that good. In fact, with God in charge, the future will be much better than the past. So set aside your anger and be patient until you see the end of things.

Grief teaches you more than joy. A rebuke teaches you more than laughter. And the end of a matter teaches you more than the beginning. So learn the lessons that only hard times can teach you.