a beautiful disaster

a disaster. that is what i feel my life has been the past couple months. god and some really awesome friends have corrected me in that i may be a disaster, but a beautiful disaster. you know we all have this "thing" that we never think will happen to us- and when it does we feel our world crash down around us. how can god allow us to suffer?? in isaiah 53:10-11 it says it was the lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer...god willed for jesus to suffer. those are difficult words to understand. we don't want to believe it. after all, if god willed for his own son to suffer, he might want us to suffer too. and we're not sure if we are up for that calling. "isn't god loving?" we reason. "if so, why would he want us to suffer?" it doesn't make sense. shouldn't god want his children to live in a world w/out difficulties, disease or death? but god did create the world perfect and w/out suffering in a garden long ago. we all have an eden-like yearning b/c god created us to live there. but we sinned, and suffering was the penalty for sin. so, in this life we will experience both suffering and death. in fact, god actually intended for jesus to suffer during his earthly life so that we could be saved.
in romans, paul tells us to expect suffering on earth- and even to REJOICE in it. are u kidding me?? that's the last thing i can muster up the energy to do when i'm at the end of my rope. but that's where god wants us- at the end of our rope. why rejoice? b/c god uses it to produce perseverance, character and hope. god doesn't waste any suffering we experience. he uses it for our good if we let him.
god isn't callous to our suffering. he cares deeply. jesus showed us that when he came to earth. he healed those who were suffering. he wept b/c ppl were suffering. and now he has CONQUERED suffering. he is seated at the right hand of god.
we will suffer on earth, but the story doesn't end there. isaiah 53:11: "after the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life." that was true for jesus and it's true for all those who believe jesus is lord. your suffering, my suffering- is not the end of the story. if you are a believer, you will one day live in a PERFECT PLACE: "then i saw a new heaven and a new earth...there will be no more DEATH or MOURNING or CRYING or PAIN, for the old order of things has passed away" revelation 21:1,4
3 yrs. ago my dad passed away and 3 months ago i slowly began to suffer. and perhaps i have been suffering for longer but had been to busy to notice. i will be honest this has been one of the hardest things i have gone thru. imagine god chiseling and molding you-- it hurts. god is changing me from the inside out and even though it gets hard at times to see the light i know im not alone. i am so so blessed with the special ppl he has placed in my life during this season of my life. i have learned so far that it's OK to not have "it" all together. i'm not supposed to carry heavy burdens or depend on my own strength. i crave comfort- god is a god of comfort. the god of all comfort longs to take us in his arms and comfort us. i crave one more day w/my dad, for him to wrap me up in his arms and tell me it's all gonna be OK, i'm here.
i pray this message has encouraged you to rejoice in your suffering- to praise god thru the storms of this life. he has already gone before you and paved a way, this is not a surprise to him. he catches every tear that we cry and promises to walk beside us always. we never leave his hands.