As It Happens: A Life Of Suffering (1)

Philippians 1:12 – I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel.

OK, I know many of you have experienced the dark and difficult things of life including

suffering and sorrow,
loss and loneliness,
despair and disease,

and a host of other circumstances that make life seem too hard to take. The truism from this litany of woe is that we are all vulnerable. Things can happen to us! Bad things indeed happen to good people. And it can happen ever so suddenly that in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, everything changes: all the old securities are gone, the roots are pulled up, the props knocked out.

Alas, how easily things go wrong,
A sigh too deep, or a word too strong,
And then the mist and the driving rain,
And life is never the same again.

Never the same again. These things can happen. They happen to me. They happen to you. Do we know where to turn in our troubles and do we have any idea how to transform the trials and tribulations into the good news of the gospel? Paul found the secret in living his life for the Lord. Can we do the same?

Prayer: Lord help us to learn the lessons of life that would have us transform any and every situation into a moment of grace, to your glory and praise. Amen.