Disclaimer: The following reference to Discovery Channel’s
TV series “Naked and Afraid” in no way indicates my endorsement of the program but is used for
comparison purposes only.
"Dear friends, do
not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something
strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the
sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed."—1 Peter 4:12-13
Remember the peacock from my previous post…standing in front
of the glass door, gazing at his reflection, his beautiful four-foot-long
plumage gone. Does he feel naked without
that gorgeous train that was once a part of him—his identity even? I mean, what’s a peacock without a fan of
blue-green feathers, each marked with that distinguishing feature, the
all-too-familiar eye. Without it, does
he feel afraid—naked and afraid?
The truth is that all mature peacocks shed their tail
feathers every year in late summer. The
shedding process is called molting. If
it happens every year, then the peacock shouldn’t be surprised, right? Doesn’t he know this isn’t something strange
happening to him—that his feathers will grow again and he will be beautiful in
time?
We too go through seasons of change and suffering. But instead of molting, it’s called
molding. God allows these seasons so He
can mold us into the person He wants us to be, thereby revealing His glory.
In the book of Genesis, we learn that Joseph was his father
Jacob’s favorite son. Joseph knew it,
and so did his brothers. Jacob even made
a special coat of many colors for Joseph.
His brothers resented him for it.
Then when Joseph boasted about his dream of ruling over his family one
day, his brothers decided they had had enough. They stripped Joseph of his special
coat and dropped him in a pit. Later
they sold him into slavery. In Egypt, he
was accused of a crime he didn’t commit and thrown into a dungeon for three
years. Naked and afraid? Maybe.
Abandoned? Not exactly. (See Genesis 37 – 39.)
God was with Joseph, and He used this difficult season in
Joseph’s life to mold him into the person He wanted him to be—all for His divine
purpose. Eventually, Joseph became second in command in all of Egypt and
instituted a plan of survival for a time of famine. It was his plan that ultimately
saved his own family, including the brothers who had betrayed him. (See Genesis
41 – 42.)
How many times have we felt like we’ve been dropped in a pit
and abandoned? How many times have we
felt naked and afraid, like the couples on Discovery Channel’s TV series who
are dropped in the middle of a jungle and left to survive on their own without
food, water, shelter, or even clothing?
If seasons of change and suffering are regular occurrences
in life, then why are we surprised when they come? Shouldn’t we view them as
opportunities to trust God to mold something beautiful through it all?
What season are you going through? Perhaps you are an empty-nester and feel your
identity as a parent has been stripped away from you, having carried that
distinguishing feature of parenthood for so long. Or perhaps it’s the back-to-school season
that’s troubling you. The start of a school
year can be pretty scary, especially if you’re a student transitioning to a new
school or a parent watching your young child board the school bus for the first
time. BUT have we forgotten that we
survived the previous season? Was God not
there for us then? He has not forgotten
us now. We are not abandoned, left to
fend for ourselves ((2 Corinthians 4:7-10). No, He is right
there upholding us with His righteousness right hand (Isaiah 41:10) and providing
everything we need for survival (Philippians 4:19). Through it all, He is working out His will in
our lives (Philippians 2:12-13), while molding our character to be more like Christ. Let us rest
assured that is He working everything out for our good (Romans 8:28), for He
makes everything beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11)—as beautiful as the
brilliant blues of a peacock.
Dear Lord, may I
declare as the psalmist did in Your word that it is good for me to be
afflicted (Psalm 119:71), for I know that You are teaching me to trust You. You are faithful and compassionate, and Your
love knows no bounds. Amen.
Desiree, you put it beautifully. We have A GOD WHO CAN BE TRUSTED, even in the midst of some very difficult circumstances. It's hard sometimes, especially when one is hoping for a different result than what has occurred.
ReplyDeleteEven poor Joseph must have struggled with this. Instead of being released from prison soon after interpreting the cupbearer's dream, it was another two years before Pharaoh has his dream. What must Joseph have been thinking during those that time? "Will I ever get out of this place," he must have wondered; yet, throughout it all, Joseph trusted God.
I remember applying to dental school in 1975. As it turned out, that year had the highest number of applicants ever to schools of dentistry in the United States. Rejection letters started coming in, which was very discouraging. For two years, I had volunteered at the Los Angeles Free Clinic as a dental assistant. Because of the opportunities for ministry, I really felt that God wanted me to serve Him as a dentist. It was hard to understand why the doors were closing.
Then one day, I was talking with a premedical student in my Latin class. He had just been accepted to medical school at The Autonomous University of Guadalajara in Mexico. "They have a brand new dental school there," he told me. "You really ought to check it out." Well, to make a long story short, I applied, was accepted, spent six months learning Spanish, moved in with a Mexican family, and began my dental training down there.
It was frustrating, though, because the quality of the education was a far cry from the schools in the United States. So many times I cried out to God for Him to open a door back to the US. Even through my tears, though, I knew that He had a purpose in my being there. As the Lord would have it, He was already planning something wonderful for me.
After three years in Guadalajara, Jesus opened the doors for me to transfer into the second year at Georgetown University School of Dentistry in Washington, DC. What a tremendous thrill that was for me! I spent three more years there and graduated in 1982. I tell people that's how I squeezed four years of dental school into six! That certainly wasn't the way I would have planned it; yet Proverbs 16:9 tells us, "The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."
Stuart Briscoe once said, "Many times disappointments are HIS appointments." Had I initially been accepted into a school in the US, I would never have had the opportunities to serve the Lord in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. What a joy and privilege that has been!
The bottom line is to trust God even in the midst of dire circumstances. Job said, "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him (Job 13:15)." Twila Paris also once sang, "I will trust You, Lord, when I don't know why. I will trust You, Lord, till the day I die. I will trust You, Lord, when I'm blind with pain. You were God before and You never change. I will trust You. I will trust You. I will trust you, Lord." And so should we.
Desiree,
ReplyDeleteYou certainly have a God given talent of conveying your insights precisely and yet so eloquently. You’re analogy of the peacock molting and God molding us is a perceptive and picture-perfect parallel.
As often as it happens to a peacock losing its feathers only to have them return again we too, as you remind us, should remember that God has a plan for us and will bring us out of whatever stressful season we’re in and into a season of peace and plenty. In our painful situations we do often ask ourselves, “Why is this thing happening to us?” as though it’s never happened to anyone else and is strange and unique to us; dropped in a pit or a jungle and abandoned by God to fend for ourselves. As you skillfully and poignantly pointed out with Scripture, this is never the case with the Lord. He is always with us no matter what.
You picked a perfect passage for us to remember God’s loving hand is always with us no matter how much we feel “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” because “this all-surpassing power is from God” (2 Corinthians 4:7-10). What a beautiful picture Isaiah 41:10 paints and what reassurance it is to know we are not to be afraid or dismayed because God has us by His right hand in whatever pit or jungle we may feel like we’re in.
You selected two wonderful Scriptures in Philippians 2:12-13 to remind us when we’re feeling like something strange is happening to us that in fact “it is God who works in you (us) to will and act according to His good purpose” and then again with Romans 8:28 “that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” As you stated, it is God working in us, molding us, during our agonizing seasons for His purpose and that purpose is for His glory and we do that by becoming the person He wants us to be. Your choice of Joseph’s story is an excellent example of how we’re to remain faithful to God as He molds us. Excellent choice of Scriptures.
It would serve us all well to remember your story of the peacock and your message of how God is molding us the next time we enter a season of testing and trials. Your story is beautifully told and the Scriptures you selected are poignant and perfect for your message. Your message is enduring and astute and it’s easy to see God’s purpose for you is to pen encouraging lessons for His children to grow and mature into the people He wants us to become. Thank you for this insightful message and I look forward to your next. God bless.
Jim