Rules of the Road - Part 5

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed. (Proverbs 3:13-18 ESV). These are pretty tough words and a good question for those who are suffering under challenges of life. So why do people suffer? Quite simply, I don't know. I know the question we always ask: “Did I do something wrong? Was it me?” At those moments we forget about God's sovereignty and even the fact that He is the giver of life itself. We have a tendency to assert our rights as humans, even to God, yet in the end the truth is He has the final say. Someone once told me that they wouldn't want to serve a God like that. A God that would for any reason allow such pain in our lives as often is experienced. Well, that is the easy way out. And, that is the way to kill all hope of the resurrection within your soul and spirit. It is cowardice not courage. What about courage? What about that hope, that anchor "... both sure and steadfast, and which enters into that within the veil"? (cf. Hebrews 6:19). Courage says that through our afflictions and through our struggles we still believe, we still hold on to faith when nothing else works. I know that often those words come from those who have never suffered. I can assure you that I am not speaking from that perspective. This is not a principle developed from the safe vantage point of the “ivory tower” of study. It has been forged within the experiences of life, some of which have been difficult. They call it hemachromotosis. It is a medical term for an incurable hereditary blood disorder. I shall never forget the first time I heard it. I was sitting in the exam room listening to my doctor tell me that I had one of three diseases causing the severe pain in my joints. She said, “It could be cancer, lupis, or hemachromotosis.” Since I was familiar with the first two of those, I asked if she had listed them in order of the least debilitating. She said, “no.” It is a very long story, but the gist of it is that I have good days and bad days with it. I can’t do some of the things I would love to do, and without regular treatment and medication life would not be very pleasant! I must confess that I asked the question “why?” After some struggle the answer became clear to me. I was asking the wrong questions! It is not a matter of why, but who. God allows into our lives many experiences of life. All of these may bring us to wisdom. That wisdom is the road to delight. I can honestly say that there are many days when I don’t enjoy the things that happen. However, as I trust the Lord for the ultimate outcome, I find more blessing than I could possibly imagine. The last rule for the road is very plain. Trust him through it all. He will bring you to life with joy and peace! Allow every experience to be your teacher. The wisdom you gain will be greater than any earthly treasure you might amass. God bless you on your own road!