This scripture has always intrigued me. In the past, I have focused on the suffering as Betty and I have both had sessions of suffering in our lives. I have also focused on the concept of hope as it's our hope in Christ that has sustained us through all the times of our lives - good and bad, joyful and suffering.
But, between suffering and hope Paul inserts perseverance. This is the element that many of us, I suspect, like to overlook - at least I do. Perseverance requires work, focus, not giving up.
Suffering comes through a lot of different avenues - accidents, disease, illness, the acts of others. Perseverance is totally ours to embrace or reject.
Hope comes not out of suffering. Suffering by itself has little or no value unless it is accompanied by perseverance - not perservering in our strength, but perservering in Christ.
When suffering comes, and it will, it's our choice to persevere in Christ through that suffering and ultimately find hope as a result of our perseverance. Or, we can wallow in our suffering, seeking someone or something to blame for the our condition.
Perseverance requires relinquishing our desire to blame someone or something and to look forward to what God will bring out of our suffering - and that knowledge that something good will come, even if we can't see any possibility of that good at the moment, - that knowledge is the seed of our hope.
1 comment:
Well spoken..I rely on that scripture often. To me it is comforting to know that there is a buffer of perseverence and character in between suffering and hope. I like the fact that our dependency on God and our determination to walk the path required makes it a partnership and not just a gift..
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