September 20, 2017
When humans face a difficulty, the natural tendency is to get away from it by solving, conquering, removing or healing it. Typically, we do not welcome a hurtful situation or desire to keep it in our life. We accept some challenges, like a minor illness, that we know we cannot remove. We try to live with it in a positive way, allowing as little disruption of our life as possible.
With this attitude, we are not likely to think of our hurt as a gift. How can something that interrupts our life experience be considered a gift? We think of gifts as items to be enjoyed, cherished and kept for as long as possible. This is counter to the way we usually handle hurts.
So when does a hurt become a gift? Is it a natural process or something we have the ability to make happen? If we did not choose an illness, how does it turn into something positive? Can cancer be a gift? Or a broken relationship? Or a financial crash?
I think we must have a perspective from Creator God in order to move from avoiding a hurt to welcoming it as a gift. It is a process that is counter to the selfish human outlook but very much consistent with God’s thinking. Romans 6:23 says, “The Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.” There was tremendous hurt for Jesus in order for Him to become a Gift to us.
As Jesus was dying on the cross to pay the price for our sin, He was hurting in every way. But it was the will of God for this to take place. I am confident that Jesus viewed His situation as a gift because of what it accomplished in the fulfillment of His reason for coming to Planet Earth.
It is good for me to read about people who have tremendous difficulty in their lives but who have turned their hurts into gifts – seeing their life situation as from God and therefore good. I want to live like that.
Pastor Bill Ehmann
Have you been peeking thru my key hole? Hee hee life is a challenge right now, but we know who the victor is.
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