Where Joy and Sorrow Meet

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,  that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”  1 Peter 1:6-9

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,  while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen;  for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  2 Corinthians 4:16-18

 

Just a few short days ago a young 13-year-old boy from our community was doing what he loves – playing baseball and polishing his skills at a baseball camp in a neighboring state. Then the unthinkable happened. Another young boy swinging his bat for the love of baseball, lost his grip sending the bat hurling through the air, striking the other boy in the back of the head–fracturing his skull and crushing his brain stem. Less than 48 hours later he was gone – absent from the body and present with the Lord.

Sometimes life doesn’t make sense to us. Kids are supposed to live out their days. Only old people are supposed to die, right?  In our perfect world that we could control and make up the rules, that’s the way it would probably play out. But in God’s economy, that’s not always true.

Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people. The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. (Matthew 5:45) None of us has tomorrow on this earth promised to us. In fact, our very next breath could be celestial air. We need to live with an eternal perspective, one that sees our time on earth as a minuscule fragment on the radar screen of eternity. Life continues after leaving this earth, but the choice is ours where we will spend it. This little fella chose early on to spend his eternity in heaven by believing Jesus came to this world to pay for the sins of all who believe in Him. (John 3:16; John 6:47)

The crown of thorns Jesus wore, His crimson blood that flowed, the agony of dying on a cross–are all sorrowful things. But the cross had a purpose. It brought restoration. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection reconciled the lost and dying world to a pure and holy God that could not bear the thought of living without us. Right there where those two beams of wood intersect, we find the very heart of God for the world–the place where joy and sorrow meet, bringing us the hope of eternal life.

Times like this are life defining moments for young and old alike. I’m watching this young boy’s classmates trying to figure it out. Their “perfect” little worlds collided with the harsh reality of how finite they are. But it’s these very moments that give us a glimpse into the future. When these life defining moments occur, we have a choice to make – be angry at God for not changing the end result and answering our prayers the way we wanted them to end, or chose to surrender control of our lives to the One who made us and sees the whole picture.

Here are five truths to cling to when life gives you a seemingly unfair blow to your head. These principles are my anchor when my world is turned upside down.

1. Life is hard, but God is good. Things may not be logical or fair, but when God is directing the events of our lives, they are right.
2. He is sovereign and in control, not me. NOTHING touches me that hasn’t first passed through His hands and received His seal of approval. I may not know the answer to the why question, but I can rest assured that the pain I’m experiencing is not by accident to Him. I don’t need to fear. He has not, nor will He lose control.
3. I can choose to rejoice in my salvation, or I can wallow in self-pity and become bitter. Now’s not the time to throw up my hands in despair and be angry at God.
4. I can trust God to work this for my good and the good of others. Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983), Dutch Christian, who along with her father & other family members, helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust, once said, “When a train goes through a tunnel, and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”
5. Everything I endure is designed to prepare me for effectively serve Him and others later. He’s committed to molding me into the image of His Son. He alone knows the eternal value of the pain I’m experiencing.

Let’s all remind ourselves daily of these truths, long before the next blow strikes, trying to crumble our faith and rob us of our hope.

Look up. See the place where joy and sorrow meet.

Where Joy and Sorrow Meet

Please click on the link and allow the words of this song minister to you.

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