Our Deepest Pains, Our Greatest Lessons

Without God’s perspective, we miss out on some of His greatest lessons found in this tension between joy and tribulation. Think of a car battery. It fulfills its purpose through its power that comes from both a positive and a negative current running through it. When a car battery runs out of power, we give it a jump-start by hooking up both positive and negative cables. The tension of joy and tribulation in our lives works the same way. We need both positive and negative currents to energize our purpose and call. Painful situations “ground” us in ways that joyful situations cannot. But the good news is, when we turn our hearts to Jesus Christ, who has ultimately triumphed over tribulations, we can experience what He promises in His Word:

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] (John 16:33 AMP)

God’s goal for our lives isn’t to simply make us happy. His desire is to make us holy—more like Him. When I talk to people who are hurting, I remind them that Jesus knew shame, ridicule, and rejection. He endured incredible pain, and through it, the writer to the Hebrews tells us a mystery: the perfect Son of God “learned obedience from what he suffered” (5:8 NIV). He learned to depend on the Father more than ever. If we’ll pay attention, we’ll see God is using every situation to give us the opportunity to depend on Him more than we ever have before!

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com