Bible Passage: “For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:5)
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11
Life is hard.
If you like that deep insight, I have a whole file of unnecessary statements in my cabinet.
This one gets a special place among the “doesn’t need to be said” collection. Beyond the obvious nature (in case you are curious, my wife’s favorite of these statements of mine is, “I hate mosquitos.”), statements like this seem to presume that not everyone realizes or admits to these facts of life.
But life is hard, and sometimes you simply have to say it.
The apostle Paul knew this and wasn’t afraid to say it. But an admission of life’s pains was never the end of his honest appraisal.
The man whose list of trials, tribulations, and sufferings is so long that it begins to border on the comical and absurd (see 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 for a chronicle of his sufferings) nonetheless never ended his discussion focused on the difficulties life seems more than willing and ready to lay on our path.
Instead, Paul typically uses hardship as a starting point for something larger—whether it is to put suffering in the greater context of eternity (see Romans 8:18-30), or to suggest that our suffering develops our character (see Romans 5:3-5), or to ask sufferers to consider how they may minister more effectively to others because of their ability to relate to both Christ’s trials and comfort (see today’s passage).
It’s easy to think that our ability to “man up” is a sign of strength, isn’t it? The ability to stoically endure, unaffected, the worst that life throws at us. To demonstrate that what may break another man does not so much as scratch our rough and impenetrable exterior.
But admitting that life is tough isn’t a sign of weakness. Acknowledging that our broken world, with its hurting people, is sometimes more than we can handle is a sign of our reliance on God.
Toughing it out, soldiering on, is a proclamation that we are enough. Instead, like Paul, we can and should say that sometimes life is too much.
When it is, we can look to our saving God for comfort.
What a blessing that we are given the opportunity to lean on the strength and comfort Jesus provides when life is tough.
This week, we will journey through an overview of 2nd Corinthians, looking at what it can teach us about who God is and who we are in Him.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your comforting presence in my life. Help me to see better that You are with me in every moment, the good and the hard, and that I can rely on You in all my circumstances. Amen.
Reflection: How do you handle life’s toughest circumstances? Are you a lone ranger, or do you rely on the comfort Jesus can give? What circumstance do you need to ask for God’s comfort in today?
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