Suffering and Grace

This past week Donna and I grieved with a friend who lost his 22-year-old son to a motorcycle tragedy. We cannot begin to imagine the hurt that accompanies a loss like that. On our drive back from the funeral home, Donna and I were reflecting on our own lives and the perspective that losing a loved one brings.
No one seeks suffering, but Scripture teaches us that there is much to be learned when tragedy strikes.

A few weeks ago I quoted from a book Donna and I have been reading, and I return to it because of what it has taught us as we prepare for minstry in Toronto. Colin McCartney is the author, and he was newly acquainted with suffering when he wrote this:
"For the one true God to fill our souls, there must be a destruction of any false gods that are present. Before God can inhabit a soul, it must first become fit for divine habitation.Only empty vessels can be filled. Our souls were made only for God and the Holy of Holies cannot and will not tolerate any other rivals that inhabit our souls. God is a jealous God and rightfully so. He states that we cannot have any other gods before Him." Ex 20:3-6

That is a profound teaching for us in all life situations, but the practical matter of purging our souls comes only through deep suffering. This is what the Cross teaches us.

He goes on...
"In our own strength, we can only do so much to purge our flesh. The real purging comes when God allows us to suffer. In this way, suffering becomes an incredibly beautiful tragedy of grace-- a beautiful disappointment. This is why it is important not to run away from trials and tragedies, but to actually embrace them. This is why we must not ignore suffering." 

In our own experiences over the past 28 months, we have suffered-- in a different way than my friend, his wife and their daughters-- but we have suffered none the less. Early in the experience we were told to be on the lookout for God and His lessons. We were told that He will use it to strengthen our future ministry. As we are about to launch into a ministry of Pastoral Care in Toronto, we are convinced that God has been with us throughout.

"Praise be to God for His indescribable gift!"

(Italicized quotations are from "The Beautiful Disappointment - Discovering Who You Are Through the Trials of Life." by Colin McCartney, p.150)