--Nietzche said, "Whatever doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger."
--Illus: Kia Jurgenson was a student at a Christian University. A gifted high school basketball player (she was all state), she received a full-ride scholarship and started as a freshmen on the University team. During those college years, Jurgenson contracted a virulent form of meningitis with the result being that to save her life, the Drs had to amputate both of her legs and most of her right hand. Needless to say, basketball is out. Life has been unfair and cruel to her. Nevertheless, after a lengthy and arduous rehab, she was back at school the following fall. And you can just imagine what it was like when at a chapel service, she stepped up on the stage and up to the podium (on her prosthetic limbs) and thanked all the people for their prayers and support, but most of all God for his steadfast love. Amazing, isn’t it?
--Whatever doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger. Does adversity make us stronger? Should it?
I--Passage One
--One unfortunate in dealing with our first text (Rom. 8:28-30) is that we are almost too familiar with it. It is used and cited all most too often and regularly in just about any and every context. As a result, it has become almost cliche.
--And because it is so often used, it is very often misused. You ask how so? It can become a religious ’happy pill.’ You ask, ’what exactly do you mean?’ We used pills to take away pain, give brief respite, even provide a momentary euphoria. Sometimes they are needed and helpful, but all too often they become crutches. Why? Because the peace, respite and euphoria are temporary and fleeting.
--I’ll be you’ve seen it; I know I have. Someone hurting or in hardship will have a well-meaning person apporach them and try to soothe them with those words, "well, you know, ’all things work together for good...’" Their attempt all too often fails miserably. Why? They are words. They don’t provide the real relief. In fact, sometimes they actually make us feel guilty about our pain.
--Let’s say this for the record. Tragedy is not good. It is not good when a child dies, a marriage ends, when cancer hits, when you lose a job or have a financial crisis. These things aren’t ’good.’
--Furthermore, we do people and faith a disservice when we attempt to nullify very real pain and heartache. We can even take matters a step further. This nullify/denial route is almost a knee-jerk reaction~~even from the actual sufferers.
--Illust: A preacher friend of mine tells me about a time when he and his wife lost the baby she was carrying. Miscarriage is always tragic, especially when you had hopes and dreams for that child. The result of this tragedy was that, in his own words, he was simply going thru the motions. As a minister, it took all his strenght to simply walk almost aimlessly. In talking to an older mentor about his experience, the older minister told him, "Sounds like you are mad at God, and I think you should tell him." At first, it sounded unorthodox, maybe even blasphemous. But he trusted his mentor, so he (again in his own words) ’just poured out his soul and let God have it.’ The result? A catharsis that helped him turn a huge corner. For the first time, he was honest with God about his doubt, fear, anger, and bewilderment. From this honesty sprang hope and faith. The scary part? It didn’t come naturally. He almost had to ’get permission’ to do what he did.
--Many think that approach is faithless and heretical. Really? Read the Psalms! Over and over, the psalmist admits (this is the CJ paraphrase), "I’m ticked off, God, and you aren’t making sense to me. Do you hear me?" But note that they take it TO God; they address God, and from this they get a sense of peace. The pain doesn’t leave, but there is a resolve and a wholeness that comes from such honesty.
--Tragedies aren’t good, and this text doesn’t say that they are. The KJV is really not the best rendition of this passage. I do like the newer versions (read passage and emph "In all things God works...)
--What does it affirm? That a sovereign God can use heartache, tragedy and trial redemptively! Since he is bigger than our hurts and sufferings, he can use them to better us and mold us. Look at vs 29. How are we ’conformed into the likeness of his son?’ Does he use trial and hardship to do it? I don’t know what you think, but I tend to think that God does his best work in and thru adversity.
--And in this world of choice and consequence, adversity happens! Furthermore, if life were fair, faith and choice would have no meaning. No depth. They’d be hollow and shallow shells. Also consider this. While the critic is quick to point out how ’the problem of evil’ is inconsistent with a omnipotent and omnibenevolent God, they often fail to consider that adversity, pain, and harship and intrinsic to mortality and mortal existence! Philsophers have said that to feel, even to hurt, is what all too often makes us human. I can’t help but think that there is a sacredness and truth to that.
--Hardship and adversity are indeed part of mortality, but to go yet one step further (and this is the odd part) we need hardship and adversity!
--Illust: A few years ago in the Sonoran Desert, the Bioshpere 2 launched its experiments. It was basically a huge greenhouse where they reproduced certain atmosphere and climatic conditions in order to observe them and record the data. They recreated a rain forest, a desert, even an ocean. But there was one item that they could not create~~a substantially strong wind. The result? The trees were pitifully and pathetically weak! They couldn’t support their own weight and broke. You see, they needed the strong wind to blow against them to toughen them and develop the strong fibers to help them support themselves. They needed opposition. They needed adversity. This is true for trees. Is it also true for humans? Do we need hardship to toughen us? To strenghten us? To develop faith and perseverence?
--I love how James says it in Jas. 1:2-3 (read). Note that he doesn’t say that joy is found in the hardship, but in what the hardship produces!
--And hardship/adversity can and should be redemptive and characther forming~~provided I choose to allow God to use them in this way!
II--Passage Two
--Choice needs to be mentioned here. Adversity and trail are only character-building and faith-enhancing if I choose to use them in this way.
--In our second reading, the Hebrew writer writes an audience that is faced with that choice. Will they continue in faith and grow by and thru their hardships, or will they quit? (read Heb, 12:3-5a). And understand that quitting is a real temptation! Too many times, divorce is the easy way. Sometimes you can’t avoid it...sometimes it’s an easy cop-out. All too often,, it is easier to quit on Christ. No more hassles from unbelievers. No more tough ethical choices! I’ll just do what I really wanted to do in the first place!
--But hear the rest of what the Hebrew writer has to say (read 5b-12). Do you see that? God is molding you. God is shaping you. God is using this hardship to conform you into the image of his Son. This gives your pain a purpose. A meaning. It does, of course, provided that you don’t quit! And notice that he doesn’t trivialize or nullify their very real hurt; he just sets it in a proper perspective.
--Adversity happens. There is no way around it. Sometimes it happens because we deserve it; our actions bring consequences, and even deserved consequences are sad. But they are deserved. Sometimes we don’t deserve it. It is just the randomness of this unfair world rolling over us. We try to find reasons. Sometimes there is one that is discernable; sometimes the only discernable reason is ’that is life.’
--But what does matter IN EVERY HARDSHIP AND TRIAL is this~~How will we deal with it? How does and should faith deal with it?
--Illust: In Aug. of ’99, the Armas family agreed to allow a photographer from the USA Today into the operating room to take pictures of the surgery on their 21 week old son. What is so interesting about the 21 weeks is that it wasn’t from birth, but from conception. The surgery was performed in utero. Infant Armas had Spina Bifida. Because his spinal cord was exposed after the backbone failed to develop properly, the Drs did surgery to close the gap and protect the spinal cord. They did the proceedure thru a small slit in Mrs. Armas’ womb. But during the surgery, something happened that the photographer was blessed to see...and photograph. Infant Armas’ in a reflex action extended his little arm outside the cramped quarters of his mother’s womb as if he was reaching for something. The Dr, Dr. Joseph Bruner, then touched Infant Armas hand with his fingers. Then Infant Armas cluthed the Dr’s fingers tightly with a good grip, as if he was ’holding on for dear life.’ Think about what it was like for that child. All he knew was the peace and serenity of that womb. Then suddenly, it is invaded by objects and instruments...items he knows not, nor understands, and it is all thrust upon him. And as his universe is invaded, he reaches out his hand...and finds someone on the other end. Someone who is there, who is in control, wanting and working for that baby’s best. And when he finds that hand, he grabs it and doesn’t let go. Isn’t that how faith works?
--Indeed, whatever doesn’t kill me does make me stronger. Provided I grab ahold of the hand of the One who can help me thru it!
special thanks to Jeremy Houck
