In the world of ridiculous but true news, I read recently where researchers at Ghent University in Belgium are experimenting with a new, more environmentally-friendly ingredient in their waffles. They’re gathering fly larvae in a bowl of water, mixing it in a blender, and then putting it into a centrifuge to produce what can only be called “bug butter.” Then they’re using that butter to make waffles and cakes and other sweets. I’m fighting the gag reflex just typing this. Please Waffle House, never make me eat bug waffles!
I have to admit that sometimes when I read the Bible, I come across statements that can only be described as “ridiculous but true.” For example, the Bible tells us to be happy when we suffer. That sounds ridiculous! But Peter the disciple, Paul the apostle, and James the brother of Jesus (all three of which, according to tradition, experienced suffering and death for their faith) all tell us that we can and should be happy when we face suffering in life. How can this possibly be true?
First, let’s look at what Paul says:
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5 ESV)
How in the world can we rejoice in our sufferings? On the surface, that sounds ridiculous. But Paul says that we can rejoice because ultimately our troubles build up our hope. Now, the word “hope” doesn’t mean what we usually refer to when we use that word. We use it to mean we’re wishing for something good to happen. But when that word is used in the Bible, it’s a confident expectation that something good is going to happen because God said it would happen.
Paul is saying that when we go through difficult times, instead of breaking us, those times can strengthen us. There will be suffering in this life, but our sufferings aren’t without a purpose and they aren’t without a positive result. God never promised to save us from all of our problems, but he did promise to be present in them and to strengthen us through them.
I don’t think Paul is teaching here that God wants us to enjoy troubles. But what he is saying is that, if we allow him to, God can use our difficult times to build up our endurance, so that we don’t give up at the first sign of trouble. Too many times today, people bail as soon as things go bad. That’s true in our relationships, our marriages, our jobs, you name it.
Paul is saying that endurance, refusing to give up at the first sign of resistance, builds our character and makes us more like God, and proven character brings about hope, and our hope, our confidence in God, is real because we have a better and better understanding of God and his love. When the problems hit, you learn to trust God a little more, so that your hope, your faith, your confidence in him is stronger each time. You can get to the point where you can honestly say, “The next trial I face is just another opportunity for God to prove himself trustworthy all over again.”
Alfred Lewis, a pastor in the early part of the 20th century who died suddenly in 1939 at the age of 45, wrote this: “Trials come that we may more and more bear the image of the heavenly. Problems we face are to make us, not break us.” And then he said this, and it has meant so much to me:
“That circumstance which presses hard against you is the Potter’s hand shaping you into a vessel of beauty.”
Rejoice when you face struggles in this life. God is using your struggles to build you into the person he wants you to be.
But what does Paul mean when he says, “hope does not put us to shame”? How could we be ashamed of our hope? The NLT says it this way: “this hope will not lead to disappointment.” Why will we never be left feeling disappointed or embarrassed or ashamed for trusting God? Because the Holy Spirit has poured God’s love into our hearts!
We trust in God because he has proven over and over again how much he loves us. He not only showed us at the cross that he loved us enough to die for our sins, but he constantly shows us how much he loves us by flooding our hearts with his love. It’s his love that keeps us going through the difficult times. It’s his love that promises us that our hope and trust in him will never fail us.
When you’re going through a difficult time and begin to lose hope, when you can’t understand why things are happening the way they are, when it all seems overwhelming and your hope is almost gone, there is one thing you can cling to that is an absolute truth: God loves you! He loves you more than you will ever know! If you’re going through a battle right now, just hold on to the truth that your Father loves you with a love that you will never be able to fully understand. That may be the only thing you can hold on to right now, so grab onto him and hang on tight to that truth. He loves you, and he is with you right now with his arms around you. And while there may be times when you let go of him, don’t worry, he will never let go of you.