Privilege(d)

Dear friends

When we consider ourselves or someone else to be privileged, what comes to mind is the advantages and the favor this person has, what we are able to see, their riches, their beauty, their good health, happy relationships, success etc.

We believe they are privileged because they have more than we do, because we can see the blessings they have received – the material and / or physical manifestations of them.

What about tough times, misfortune, catastrophes, disaster, strokes of fate?

Would we consider those to be a blessing?

Of course we would not.

And yet, they are what often brings about the best in someone and what brings them closest to GOD and what ultimately brings forth their calling, their ministry, their purpose and destiny.

Would you agree?

Have you thought about it?

Me, I hadn’t been able to see it that way before.

At least not to the degree where I can see it now.

Let’s look at some examples in the bible:

David, for instance. The greatest king and warrior we are told about – PLUS (and this is even more desirable in my opinion) a man “after GOD’s own heart”, a man who knew GOD intimately, who understood GOD like not many other people ever have, and who was able to commune with GOD on a spiritual and intimate level, was even inspired to help us pray, help us worship and help us speak to GOD with the words he wrote – until this day……
Would we agree that his ministry really began when he killed Goliath?
That’s definitely when he “came out” and showed his greatness to the world.

However, that’s what everyone saw, that’s when everyone had to recognize that there was a special anointing on David’s life and that he was born to be a leader, born to be great.
But he had to go through a time of training, a time of hidden-ness, a time of humility, a time of living in very simple conditions as a shepherd – in nature, isolated from everyone else.
Not exactly the life of a king with all the riches and glamour.

And then the bear and the lion who had come after his flock.
When there was nobody to help him defend his sheep, and no weapons to use, so that he had to use his hands.
If he had been unsuccessful in defeating these two giant, powerful and immensely strong wild animals, not only the lives of his sheep, but also his own life would have been at stake.
This was the time when he learnt to fight like losing was not an option.
When his character was formed, when he practiced speaking to GOD and hearing from HIM every day, out there with nobody around except his sheep and GOD.
That was the time when he was prepared for his fight with Goliath.
When he learned to rely on GOD.

Those times, when people like David go through their “training”, are the times we cannot see.

What we see is the outcome, the endresult, the victory.

But when we study their lives, we will find times of hardships, of tests and trials, even of extremely discouraging situations – I don’t even think there is any exception to that in the bible – at least not that I know of…….. there is nobody who has “just” been blessed by GOD without any period of suffering, of learning, of growing, of overcoming.

There are many other examples – Daniel, Joseph, Elijah, Moses………. all of the “heros” had to overcome hurdles and master extremely severe storms!

Could it be that the “hard times” are necessary for us to reach our greatness, our purpose, our calling?

It seems to me that this is the way GOD works.

And it also makes sense to me – a lot of sense!

You see, none of us would have opted for any of the things we went through – if we had been given a choice.

Perhaps you are the one noble exception to this rule, my friend, but I personally can count myself out of ever opting for any hardships or trials or tests and this includes not only me, but everyone I know!
We as a species are not wired like this, we aren’t prone to seek out extreme pain in order to help us build our character – perhaps we have the courage (and the experience to know that) to challenge ourselves in order to bring forth improvement or better results than we can naturally achieve, and most of us have been taught that practice and endurance produces good results, but our default is not suffering, is not working hard, is not pushing ourselves.

It’s relaxing, having fun, enjoying, receiving, consuming, indulging, basking………. if we never had any negative consequences from “blissing out”, we would never do anything else – at least I can admit that I wouldn’t and don’t know anyone personally who would.

So is this GOD’s way of forcing us to grow?
By pushing us into a very challenging situation we would never have gone into deliberately?

Me, I believe so.

From studying all the great characters in the bible, even including GOD HIMSELF, as HE was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for 40 days before HE fully stepped into HIS ministry on earth…. and HE was even taken to a place by GOD where HE had to give HIS life at the age of 33 in order for HIS purpose to be fulfilled – and we know that HE did wish at some point that GOD would “take this cup away” and provide another way for salvation of mankind!
Even GOD HIMSELF had this aspect of humanity in HIM which would naturally make HIM want to feel good emotions rather than throwing HIMSELF into suffering……

Someone said “suffering brings forth ministry” – and I like it.

When we are at our lowest – no different from the characters in the bible – we learn.
We grow.
And we are going through things which will help us have compassion and love afterwards.
Which will help us to remain humble when the fame, the riches and the success comes……..
AND – last but not least, which will help us understand that we must rely on GOD, not on ourselves or on any kind, shape or form of human power.
A time when we deeply understand that GOD is always in control and only HE is.

Hardships and suffering not only bring forth ministry, they also produce depth, wisdom, character, courage, and patience – as the bible says:

James 1: 1-4
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
Greetings.

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Are there truly people who never go through anything, who “have it all”….me, I have a hard time to believe that.

I can hardly imagine that someone would go through life without any challenge EVER – it’s just not how life works in my opinion and in my experience ( not only from my own life, but also from what I have seen in people I know and in so many people I have worked with as a therapist, a coach, a support worker or a mere colleague).
It just can’t be true that you never, ever had any setbacks, any bad news, any failures, any rejection, any loss………… perhaps there are people walking this earth for whom existence works like that, I just can’t imagine it and I don’t believe it is supposed to work like this by OUR MAKER.
Everyone I know, everyone I heard about and even everyone I read about in the bible has had to go through some challenges at some point.
It is how we learn and how we grow and even if we never ever learn anything, it is just what will happen to us if we are walking this earth.

So if you were to tell me life is always like a bed of roses in your world, I would believe that you are either ignorant or a fake or too shallow to notice anything.
Sorry, it just doesn’t fit my idea of life itself.

The way I see it is that going through “stuff” is completely normal and happens to all of us.

What makes the difference though, ALL the difference, is who is “calling the shots”, who is giving the orders, who is overseeing our journey and who is there with us.

Because if we are going through trials and tests under GOD’s management, it will be beneficial for us – in the end.
It may not turn out the way we had fancied it and there may not be an immediate or complete “happy ending” for us, but there will be something good….. something deeper, something worth “burning” for, something, a reward, a prize, an outcome that will make us better.
Perhaps it won’t make us feel better.
But for me, the most interesting and admirable people are those who have gone through very tough things and have come out on the other side, wiser, stronger, deeper, more empathetic, more knowledgeable than before – they have a story to tell, they have seen something I want to hear about, they can relate, they know how to deal with ” stuff”…..

This is my interpretation of “good” in the scripture:

Romans 8:28

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

So going through life with GOD makes it all worth our while.

And I am of the view that it is indeed a privilege to be exposed to a challenge GOD has allowed for us, as it will be bringing us closer to who HE has destined us to become.

What is your take my friend?
Have you gone through something and found that you had come out a better version of yourself on ” the other side”, or have you seen it in someone else?

I hope and pray that this will inspire, heal, encourage and bless you. May THE LORD richly bless you in all areas of your life, may HE keep you and shine HIS face upon you and bring you peace. In JESUS’ name I pray.
AMEN.