"Imagine Yourself A Living House"

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

God is in the process of making  you into something magnificent.  This is especially true if you have suffered a great deal in your life.  God will tear down the walls of  your life, and He will rebuild them into something that can house His glory.  We often wonder why God is allowing such great suffering in our lives.  The answer is actually quite simply, however; some of us have major walls to be torn down.  On the other hand, as a Christian, it is always worth it to endure the tearing down process because in the end, the beauty that is created is more magnificent than we could have imagined.   Often, we are content to be "a decent little cottage", however, this is the Christian equivalent to being lukewarm.  God wants to build something incredibly beautiful in you. For some of us that means extensive renovation.

This has certainly been true in my life. The past five years have been brutal.  Life has not gone at all like I would have hoped.  Yet, for having gone through it, I am a better man because of it.  I often wonder if we can grow at all as Christians without suffering.  It is through suffering that our faith becomes more mature, and we as people are refined as gold.

Peter put it this way:

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial among you, which comes upon you to prove you, as though a strange thing happened unto you: but insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy."  (I Peter 4:12-13).

It is our natural inclination to feel like God has abandoned us or that He is punishing us when we are going through a particularly rough time.  This not the case, however.  The assurance we  have as Christians is that God is building us each into something beautiful that is worthy of His name and that He will always use our suffering for our benefit and His glory. It is difficult to always hold on to this truth. But, my friend, "Know you not that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (I Corinthians 3:16).  And if you are like me, in order to be a proper temple of the Spirit of God, major renovation needs to occur.  We should not be surprised, and as crazy as it sounds, we should be thankful.

On Suffering, Free Will, and Pinocchio

"Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the order of nature and the existence of free-wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself."  C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

God created us to be the objects of His love.  In order to love us He had to create us with free will because  to love or be loved one must have a choice.  In order to have free will, the option to choose badness must exist.  And, because God is just, if we choose badness, it will cause suffering.


Gepetto created Pinocchio out of his desire to have a son.  Before Pinocchio became a boy, Gepetto's love for Pinocchio was a love not really realized.  Once Pinocchio became a boy, he had free will, including the will to do wrong.  Pinocchio choose to do wrong, and he suffered because of it.


If Gepetto really loved Pinocchio wouldn't he have protected him from suffering?


The simply answer is, "no."  In order for Gepetto to fully love Pinocchio and for Pinocchio to experience Gepetto's love, Pinocchio had to become a boy.  In order for Pinocchio to truly be alive, he had to be a boy with a free will.    And once free will is involved, it necessarily entails suffering, because the alive person will, at times, choose to do wrong.  


It is no different with God.  In order for us to really be alive, we must have free will.  In order for us to truly be able to feel and express love, we must a free will.  And if we have a free will, there naturally will be suffering because, at times, we will choose to do wrong.


It is not God's fault that there is suffering.  Suffering exists because we have a free will.  We must have a free will in order for us to be truly alive, and to truly feel God's love.    

GOD...SHOUTS IN OUR PAINS

Today's C.S. Lewis quote is (drum roll, please):

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

I have been intentionally avoiding this quote from Lewis.  I realize it is for a couple of different reasons. First, this may be the most famous quote from Lewis, and for good reason. It succinctly summarizes a complex theological issue -- Christian suffering.  Second, there has so much been written about this quote...Nevertheless, here are my thoughts.


First, how true this has been in my own life.  The last few years have been brutal.  I should have written that Brutal, with a capital "B".  Divorce, losing my job twice, starting a business, being cheated out of half a million dollars, having to close my business...I could keep going, but I won't.  At the same time, looking back, I understand that that is what it took for God to get my attention, and now I am in a better place than I have been in a long time, maybe ever.


Second, looking back, I also understand that prior to my suffering, God was trying to get my attention.  There were signs, and warnings.  They were not the flashing red lights of a divorce, or the megaphone of being robbed of your money.  But the warnings were there.  Mostly those warnings came in the form of my conscience.  Those whisperings also came from things my true friends would say.


There are several key points to make. First, if you are in the midst of a difficult time right now, rest assured that your suffering is not pointless.  You can trust that God has a great purpose for your pain. Second, our God is patient and "long-suffering", but He will not wait forever.  If you are traveling down the wrong path, God will give you warnings.  But because He is a jealous God, He will not allow you to leave anyone in the place He should rightfully have, even if that person is you.  Finally, if you are doing well right now, listen for His voice.  He may just be whispering to you...through His word, through the radio, through a friend, or through the sunset.  I can guarantee what He is saying too, "I love you...more than you can know."


Therefore,

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful..." Hebrews 10:23