“For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.”
1 Peter 2:19-24
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13
I remember watching the Donut Man as a kid with all my cousins singing, “I can do all things, all things, all things, I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me, Philippians 4:13!”
We’re taught all these things while growing up but as adults we never stop to rethink them and see how they may apply differently to our adult lives. As a kid, “I can do all things” meant I could eat my veggies, clean my room, and ride my bike up the really big hill at my uncles house. This carried into my teenage years where it meant I could make new friends, apply for a job, and take on the boys in the soccer playoffs without being afraid of getting trampled. (I made two goals playing forward and we won that tournament I might add).
As an adult however, what does it mean? For the most part it has held the same type of meaning- I can work 40 hours a week and keep a smile on my face, I can take 4 finals on the same day and not pass out, I can teach a bible class because its not my wisdom but His... All these things are very true, but today I’m seeing from a little different perspective. I think we tend to read this verse and think of all the things we can accomplish, all the goals we can set, and how we will succeed because we can ‘do all things’. But let’s look at the couple verses before this one that we’re so quick to recite:.
“..I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” And because of this I know…. “I can do all things, through him who strengthens me.”
Changes things a bit, right? We can indeed accomplish great things through Christ's strength, but I think that is only one aspect of this verse. Change the wording a little and instead of ‘I can do all things’ how about ‘ I can face all things’? Maybe it is not only about what we can do, accomplish, or achieve. Maybe it is also about what we can face, endure, and make it through.
As Christians (following in the steps of Christ) we are called to suffer as Christ suffered- to suffer unjustly. Why? We are called to be the light of the world, to shine brightly and reflect the glory of God. Where does light shine the brightest? In the darkness. Light becomes brighter when it is submerged in darkness. When we are in the middle of suffering and when we should (by all human reasoning) be overwhelmed and overtaken by our circumstances, yet we are able to endure, that shines.
We are called to shine, and one of the ways that we can do this best is through enduring hard things. When we go through something that drains us of all human strength, the strength of Christ kicks in and that is obvious to anyone watching.
Paul says that he has learned how to be content. He knows how to be brought low, and he knows how to abound. I love this. He knows how to be brought low, as Christ knew how to be brought low. This makes me think of gracefully enduring hard things. Not just getting through, but refusing to let circumstances slam us to the ground and toss us around like crazy. Knowing how to be brought low slowly, peacefully even. By following in the steps of Christ we shouldn't be surprised by hard things. By knowing who we are in Christ we know we can endure hard things. By knowing these things, the hard things become a gracious thing for us because through them we are able to shine our brightest and point to Christ.
But it doesn’t stop there. Knowing all of this also enables us to know how to abound. Not just sit there and take the suffering and wait for it to pass and then abound afterwards, but to abound in the midst of suffering-to find peace in the midst of turmoil, joy in the midst of sadness, strength in the midst of weakness. Why? Because we ‘can do all things through him who strengthens’ us.
Not only can we suffer because he strengthens us, not only can we endure it and make it through because he strengthens us, but because he strengthens us we can do so joyfully. Because he strengthens us we can do all things- like find peace and happiness and contentment when everything around us is falling to pieces. Why? Again, it is in doing these things that we can shine the brightest.
In a world that runs from suffering and does everything possible to avoid inconvenience and uncomfortable-ness, what would it look like for us to begin to embrace suffering when it comes our way, knowing that it will enable us to shine? What if, when in the midst of hard things that we didn't ask for or deserve, we took a minute to praise our God because He has given us an opportunity to bring glory to His name? What if, when we see our brothers and sisters in Christ suffering unjustly, instead of praying that God would remove their burden, we pray that God would enable them to glorify Him in the utmost way?
What if we look at suffering as an opportunity to show the world what this Christian thing is all about?
What if we became known for the way we handled suffering?
What if, instead of our stance on homosexuality, our social ciricles, or the location of our bodies on Sunday mornings, the un-churched of Mobile knew who the churched were by the way we were gracefully ‘brought low’ in tough times?
What if?
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