Be Tough

Hebrews 12:4

4In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

I am reminded by this verse of how wimpy I can sometimes be in my attitude towards life and the ensuing hardship that follows. I struggle and I know most all of us struggle with some sense of entitlement that says, "I should not have to suffer". At the very least we feel like we are the ones who decide when enough is enough.

However, this is where faith and our view of God enters the picture. If we view our hardships in life as only being from the evil one, and assume that God has nothing to do with our difficulties, then we miss an opportunity. It is the opportunity to trust that God knows our limits, and that he is shaping us into the image of his son. If we divorce God from our difficulties then we setup unrealistic expectations for ourselves. It is an expectation that thinks and feels like we should be delivered by God from every trial. These unmet expectations of God lead to disappointment, discouragement, and even being disillusioned with God.

When we trust that our God purposes our hardships and that he loves us, we can rest in the knowledge that he knows our limitations,and as James says we can "consider it pure joy whenever we face trials"(James 1). God displays his love for his children by disciplining them, that is why we consider it pure joy, because ultimately it shows us God's love. So my challenge for all of us is to toughen up a bit, and receive and dare I say welcome hardship, for it is God showing you love.

~Dave