The opening line of the book by famous American psychiatrist, M Scott Peck, entitled, “The Road Less Travelled”, says, “Life is difficult”. Well, I don’t think anyone reading this needed to be told that. The fact that life is difficult, is not a new concept for any of us.
Life is difficult. This is an important truth, says Peck, and once we truly acknowledge this truth and seek to come to grips with it, we begin to rise above the difficulties of life. I think that’s true, to some extent. But it is not the whole story. Difficulty does not have the final say about how we do life – at least, it shouldn’t! A former prime minister of Australia, the late Malcolm Fraser, once said, “Life wasn’t meant to be easy.” Okaay, but I don’t think it was meant to be excruciatingly hard, either.
Once we truly know that life is difficult ... then life is no longer that difficult. Think about it for a second. Peck reckons that once it is accepted that life is difficult, that should no longer matter – we just need to get on with it. OK, but there is more to it, I think. Jesus once said,
John 16:33 (NIV)
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
What is He saying? He is saying that troubles are inevitable in life. He is saying that no one – no one – can ever have a trouble-free life. Trouble, of some kind, visits us all, it is never a question of if, but when, the trouble comes to us. So, life is difficult. Life wasn’t meant to be easy. And, in this world you will have trouble. I’m glad we didn’t know that, or were able to comprehend that, the day we were born! It would have been a depressing start. In saying what He said, “In this world you will have trouble”, Jesus was saying that sometimes life is unfair. Why is life, difficult, not easy, and comes with trouble and is unfair? I don’t know … but it is. Jesus acknowledged all that when He said those words. Life is unfair. But what else did He say? He said,
John 16:33 (NIV)
"… But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Take heart, I have overcome the world and life’s unfairness … and you can, too. Jesus was teaching us, in effect, that life is not measured by what is fair, or unfair. We should never measure life in such a negative way – it does too much damage to us. If we want to measure life by how much fairness we experience, then, a lot of the time … life won’t be fair, will it? No – it won’t! And it won’t be fun. And many people get trapped right here and begin to identify as victims. That is incredibly destructive for everyone around them. I think that Jesus was hinting that life is to be measured by how we overcome what is unfair, and still make a life – a good and productive life.
When life is unfair, or difficult – and there are times when it is – we can allow what is difficult, or unfair, or painful to overwhelm us and change our perspective on reality, to our detriment. I want to encourage you all today to heed the words of Jesus … to acknowledge that in life troubles and heartache will come … but these do not define life. No! What defines our lives is largely determined by whether or not we choose to overcome – and how we do that.
And overcoming is about maintaining righteous perspective in faith!
I have chosen to look adversity in eye and, with God’s help, overcome the troubles of life with righteous perspective in faith. Jesus said, “You can, too!” One of the other ways we do that is by helping one another when troubles come, so that none lose perspective in the pain. Trust me, it can happen. We help one another to overcome and make a life. None of us can do life solo – we need each other. In times of trouble, pain and unfairness … we need to learn to take the initiative by trusting that this righteous perspective works, by faith, because God helps us when we choose that righteous perspective. He responds to righteous perspective by faith … and so, we help a brother or sister to get through, too … to overcome … and make life.
We were meant to – were created to – depend on God and rely on His almighty strength to overcome the troubles of life, to not only make a life here, but prepare for the joy that awaits us when we’re done here.
In the Book of Revelation and in the words of Jesus, Himself, (on more than one occasion, too) the most celebrated people in eternity will be the overcomers. The ones who took heart, trusted God with righteous perspective, who walked by faith and in holiness and overcame the devil with the authority given them in the cross of Christ – these ones! - will be given the richest of God’s blessings as an inheritance.
1 John 5:4-5 (NIV)
“… for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
Anyway that’s just what I think.
You are loved.
Ps Milton