To my sisters in Christ,
The sound of the alarm blares in my ear annoying quite
possibly the worst morning person in the world.
The early morning thoughts in my head war against each other. One argument attempts to sway me to get up
and enjoy the opportunity for Bible study.
Unfortunately, the opposing side screams louder that more sleep is
required, luring me back to sleep. And
then…there it is. The sound of a text
from my friend across town, alerting me that she’s awake and ready for her time
with Jesus. She’s expecting a text in
return, keeping me accountable each day for early morning quiet time with the
Lord.
So, in an effort to please my friend and reward myself with
a cozy coffee, my feet sluggishly hit the ground. Notice, my intensions have not Jesus in
mind! Stumbling through the dark, and
very possibly over some shoes in the middle of the bedroom floor, I somehow
make it to the good old faithful Keurig awaiting me in the kitchen. With one push of a button and in a matter of
seconds, coffee is brewing and I’m beginning to think the venture away from the
warm bed may have been worth it. Tiptoeing
past the sleeping puppy, I whisper a prayer that he doesn’t stir. At this time, my focus remains self-centered
as I desperately crave the quiet atmosphere.
The house is alive and noisy all day and I relish a few minutes of
complete silence.
Upon arriving to my oversized chair with freshly brewed coffee
in hand, I grab my Bible, journal and colorful pens, cuddle in a warm quilt,
and pray, “Lord, help me to stay awake!”
And it is at that moment I sense the voice of Jesus in my heart,
welcoming me by saying, “I know it wasn’t easy but I’m so glad you made it this
morning. Let’s spend some time
together.”
Opening the pages of the sacred script, I read in Romans 5,
“…rejoice in our suffering…”
Wait…what? Did I just
read that? Is my mind still asleep and
not quite understanding the words on the page?
Did you just say REJOICE and SUFFERING in one sentence? With a rub of my eyes and a second glance on
the page, I read it again, “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of
God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in
our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:2b-4 NIV
That’s all it takes.
Just a verse or two for God to change your course in life, leading you
toward him. So following a method in the
www.20-Minutes.org challenge, I dig in
a little deeper to allow the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts. What are the facts of these verses? If I were to explain this in my own words,
what would I say? For starters, we rejoice
because the end result is hope. However,
getting from suffering to hope is a process.
In our suffering, we persevere which produces character and ultimately
leads to the path of the eternal assurance of hope.
After observing the facts, I ask myself, what are the
lessons I can learn from these verses?
At first glance, I come to the conclusion that rejoicing in suffering is
never a natural response. As sinful
people, we do not naturally rejoice when afflicted by suffering. It goes against everything in us. The process of completely embracing the hope
that the Bible speaks of may not be completely realized on this side of heaven. However, as we read in verse 6, this hope
will not disappoint.
After observing the facts, I seek out how to apply these
truths to my own life? The Holy Spirit
shows me that it is my job, through His power, to rejoice in suffering. Rejoicing is a word showing action, something
for which we are commanded to do. As I read how hope does not disappoint, I realize
that this hope is not of this world. My
addiction to iced white chocolate Americanos will eventually disappoint
me. A quiet house and time alone will
come to an abrupt end at exactly 7:00 a.m. when the kids come bouncing out of
their rooms. My family cannot be
absolutely everything to me. My deepest dream
of returning to my “Old Kentucky Home” may never come true. People may disappoint us, plans fall through,
and life goes in a different direction than we thought. The things of this world will never satisfy
the void in our hearts that can only be filled by the goodness of God. Yet, Biblical hope never changes. True, godly hope will last forever and never
disappoint! And it is for this reason we
can truly rejoice even in the midst of suffering.
As my eyes are opened to the beauty of rejoicing in
suffering, my early morning time ends with prayer. And then I realize, this is all about
Him. Resisting the temptation of
sleeping in and, instead, following the prompting to get up early to spend 20
minutes with Jesus is all about Him, not me.
It also puts life in proper perspective.
In the end, all this rejoicing is possible because Jesus came to earth,
took our place in death, and conquered death in order to reign forever! Can I get an Amen?!
I sincerely encourage you to find your 20 minutes with Jesus
each day whether it be morning, afternoon, or evening. Jesus is never too busy for you! It’s so worth the effort and it will keep us
focused on Christ throughout the day.
What is God teaching you right now?
How can you rejoice no matter the circumstance? Please feel free to share how God is renewing
you and, as a result, God will use you to renew others.
Blessings,
Beth Ann
