You know a trial when you meet one. Coming
home to a broken air conditioner in 90 degree heat after church, receiving an
unexpected bill in the mail that you cannot pay, cleaning up the same spilled
peaches for the fourth time in the last ten minutes, waking up to the same foot
pain every day, helping the same child with the same math problem over and over
and over again.
These
are all truly momentary and light afflictions.
Nothing that we go through will ever compare to the agony of the
cross. My sin for His
righteousness. My acceptance for His
abandonment. My idolatry for His
faithfulness. There is no trial or
hardship that I have ever tasted that can ever come close to what Jesus
suffered for me and you.
God
loves to use the unexpected in our lives.
It occurs every day. These are
moments that I never anticipate happening.
But what I do know is that I should never be surprised by unforeseen
experiences. These may be unknown to me,
but not to Him.
When
God does something that I am not expecting, it is a reminder that I am never in
control of the destiny of my life. All my
days have been written down before I ever knew them. Past tense.
Written. And so, I am meeting
these times in my life, sometimes trials and sometimes not, with a new
perspective. Like when I met a pig.
I
recently spent a few hours with a friend who needed some help around the
house. She has a newborn and I was
looking forward to helping in any way I could.
I was able to do all that I wanted for her – cook, clean, and talk. It blessed me to bless her. I prayed that I would be able to help with anything
that she would need. And God ordained a
way for me to do just that.
On
my way out, I asked her if there was any last thing I could do for her before I
left. She came out of the yard with a
somewhat concerned look and said that yes, she needed help with something. It was her pig.
Her
pig needed to be fed. She assured me
that if we fed the pig, it would stay in the pen and would resist the
temptation to flee. This, I did not want
to see, and neither did my friend. So, I
was glad to help.
The
plan was that she would take a large stick and poke at it to keep it from
coming out, while I would throw the container of pears into its pen. Now, this pig that was desirous to come out was
not a wee little pig, it was a right good size.
So, I calculated the exact speed and physical maneuvering that would be necessary
for me to launch the pears into the pig’s pen.
I let my friend know I was ready, and as my friend poked this pig and
opened the gate, I ducked in and gave the pig his pears. Operation Pig was a success.
It
was a first for me. Those who know me
know that I do not have a warm fuzzy spot in my heart for the animal
kingdom. I don’t mind animals and I know
that they are a creation from God and are very necessary. I just don’t have any in close proximity to
me. So, this was out of the ordinary for
me, in the realm of the unexpected.
I
was pleased to help my friend and pleased to find that I was experiencing the
unexpected. Paul said we should not say
that any of our plans are definite, but as the Lord wills. We do not know what each day will
bring. Only the Lord knows. He is the One who fashions our days in order to
bring out more and more of His glory, more and more of His shine.
The
other day I had some unexpected time to get into the flower beds around my
porch. It had been let go for some time
and needed some TLC. I just threw myself
at the job barehanded. When I was
finished, I looked down at my left hand that was the color of dirt and saw a
brightly colored semi-circle. It was my wedding
band. My $50, scratched up, Montgomery
Ward wedding band was shining like new white gold. Why? I
had not polished it. It was not
new. The dirt around it made it stand
out. It looked bright against the back
drop of the dirt and grime.
A
Christ follower in the middle of a difficulty stands out like Technicolor in a
world of black and white. When a
believer in the God-Man Jesus Christ meets a trial or an unexpected event and
his faith remains, the gospel shines forth.
These trials of various kinds and unexpected events are there to make
him steadfast, immovable. These occurrences
make him more like the One he is following.
If you are not a Christ follower and you do
not understand how one who trusts Jesus can walk through storms, difficulty,
and unseen events with peace and even joy, then ask them. Ask them where the strength and longsuffering
to stay the course comes from. Don’t be surprised
if they tell you the answer has nothing to do with them, but that the answer
lies in a Man. ~Your Fellow Sojourner
{dedicated to my dear friend who allowed me to
blog about her pig ~ I love you!!}
[8] In the whole land, declares the LORD,
two thirds shall be cut off and perish,
and one third shall be left alive.
[9] And I will put this third into the fire,
and refine them as one refines silver,
and test them as gold is tested.
They will call upon my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people’;
and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”
(Zechariah 13:8-9 ESV)
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