An elderly man bends over a few scraps of
parchment, and we see how earnestly he writes, almost oblivious to the
encroaching darkness of night, and the claustrophobia of his tiny cell. We gaze
on a man prematurely aged by a life of intense hardship having been tossed at
sea, stoned by his countrymen, hungry as often as filled and misunderstood in
his own time.
We are the recipient of his words, words that have
been passed down to us over two millenia:
I would have you understand, my brothers, that all
my glories and all my sufferings have allowed the gospel to be shed
forth in a mortal life Philippians 1:12 (McDonald paraphrase)
This same old man had written similar words years
earlier, when his back wasn’t so bowed down, his hands not nearly so
knarwled and his eyes so much brighter:
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present world
aren’t
worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us Romans 8:18
(KJV)
Paul’s entire being characterized the mark that
Christ etched into his very soul; a mark just as deep and just as defined as an
image that is stamped into a coin.
If you’re waiting for life to be fair, you’ll be waiting a
long time. Why do good things happen to bad people and why do bad things happen
to good people? We don’t always have a
clue.
We live life a moment at a time, without the knowledge
that the next moment can provide us. Sometimes we eventually understand how God
used a particular event in our lives to further His agenda. Sometimes we never
do. But God is like that airplane pilot who can see behind, below and ahead,
all at the same time. He is not limited by geography or time. He tells us:
The light and the darkness are both alike to me Psalms
139:12 (KJV). He is so like one who wears night vision goggles. The darkness
does not reduce his vision in the slightest.
The Discipline of Darkness is probably the keenest and
most poignant discipline we learn. The discipline of darkness requires but one
thing to be complete in us, and without this one thing it is bitterly
incomplete. And Paul is not remiss to keep this secret from us:
Therefore my chains in Christ are seen by the servants
and those who are served in Caesar’s Palace, and many
of those who once feared are boldened by these chains and witness without the
slightest anxiety Philippians 1:13,14 (McDonald paraphrase)
For you see the
Discipline of Darkness requires the addition of a Vision. God’s Vision is a
thing to be embraced by those who suffer, by those who don’t understand, by
those who are stung by the circumstances of life. Paul, and Peter and Job and
Joseph and all those martyrs of Hebrews Chapter 11 were encouraged by the
Vision that Christ loaned to them.
I can’t comprehend all God’s purposes in our
sufferings. Why did God allow a nephew of mine to be born with Spina Bifida? He
sat in a wheelchair for twenty years and survived countless operations. But he
embraced the same Vision that Paul had previously held so sacred. Why did God
allow my own precious daughter to develop Schizophrenia and retardation; a
daughter who now lives in a group home? One day I’ll surely be
asking God about that but til then I must believe there’s a good reason, a
reason that will ultimately glorify our Creator.
Paul continues to usher us into the theater of this
life with the words: And we know that all things work together for good to
those who love God Romans 8:28 (KJV)
What is ultimately required is both the Discipline of
Darkness and the Vision that assures us that God doesn’t waste our hurts,
our tears, the very agony of our hearts. He has a Plan, and bids us cooperate
with his plan.
Some are called to literally lay down their lives.
Others know periods of darkness to rise again, healthier, happier and holier.
Our lives are so temporary. They are like wisps of fog; here today, only to
vanish when the sun arises. We find ourselves selfishly clinging to what we
cannot keep.
While none of us should foolishly welcome suffering,
we must count it as a timely discipline when it comes, for it comes for a
purpose.
by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending.
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