Think It Not Strange

What do you look like when life happens?  Are you bewildered?  Are you shocked, dumbfounded, distraught?  I’ve been there too and I have found that asking “Why” questions like, “Why is this happening?” is not very helpful.

One of the ways that I have found helpful in getting out of the bottomless pit of “Whys” is to ask the question, “Is God surprised by what is happening to me?”  This question helps me remember that God is involved in my life.

This is why Peter reminds us, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happing to you.”  But Peter doesn’t stop there, he goes on to say, “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.” (I Peter 4:12-13)

In its context, Peter seems to be speaking to persecuted Christians.  In a larger sense, I think God is telling us that life is a test and everything that happened to Jesus could happen to us (Hebrews 4:15).  But we will receive joy as we acknowledge that we are walking with Jesus.

This life is a journey that we’re on and it is not the destination.  If we don’t remember this, life can be catastrophic or tragic.  Walking with Jesus makes us realize that we have a destiny and a destination and unbelievably, it will produce joy.