The kindness of God is to be honest with us. He tells us the way of following Him is contrary to the world’s way. Jesus teaches us by His example; He was a man of sorrows.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3 ESV
God shows us, through the scriptures, what it looks like to deny Himself. To God obedience is better than sacrifice. His desire is to give us life, and life abundant. This is why He came to us.
God is generous to make a way for us. His Shepherd heart beckons us to follow Him. His Shepherd voice calls us by name and invites us to follow Him. He is kind to tell us that we must take up a cross of suffering and follow Him. The emphasis landing squarely on going His way because He knows the way through, and the way through has all to do with imitating Jesus as He walks us into freedom and safety. He will walk us home.
Is this a new concept for you to ponder with Jesus? According to your understanding of kindness, is He kind to tell us that His way is challenging and requires perseverance?
Is the dentist kind to inform you up front that You’re going to experience some discomfort? The goal of the procedure is to promote health, but the process could be painful. There is kindness in honesty.
Is a loved one kind who pursues a painful conversation and intervention? The goal is to get help. The one who truly loves will confront and pry in an attempt to save a life. Kindness is asking honest questions. Kindness can also be found in respecting someone’s wishes.
Relationships are messy and challenging, but how much better is it to go through the inevitable hardship with someone who cares.
You are probably thinking now of a burden under which you are trying to bear up – you might even say, survive. You are well acquainted with the heaviness and the torment of bearing this cross. In your suffering you cry out, “It’s too much!”
The best comfort we have, during these wearisome seasons of life, is the comfort of knowing that Jesus knows and cares. God is good and He knows what He’s doing; it is this truth that will keep us going moment by moment. And sometimes He sends a friend or three with whom we can persevere. Friends who will help carry the weight of sorrow.
” I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” ~Jesus
We can read the scriptures and know that He has experienced real suffering and pain, isolation and rejection. Jesus took up the cross meant to kill Him, which would relegate us all to hell, doomed without opportunity for redemption. He took up this death sentence because through His obedience Jesus would fulfill God’s good plan. His Plan A from the start was to restore us, reconcile us back to the Garden.
Friends who will help carry the weight of sorrow.
The kindness of Jesus is that He is a true friend. Jesus told His disciples that they would face many trials. He prayed for them to stay faithful through the trials that were to come. And even as He left Earth to return to our Father in Heaven, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, the Helper and Advocate, would come to dwell within each Christ follower. He promised, and so we know it is true.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:26-27 ESV
We all get the opportunity to walk through something difficult. Living with challenges, pain and hardship are a guarantee. Whether you follow Jesus or not, suffering and ultimately death comes to every person. We can read history books on every civilization known to man. Both Biblical and secular historical records come to the same conclusions; suffering, pain, disease, famine, and death are inevitable among every society, and across all the centuries.
But Jesus flipped the script. He who is fully God and fully man dwelled on Earth to live among His own people, but without sin. Jesus set the example for us – not just how to live out our faith in God but also how to live faithfully through suffering.
He showed us that we need God, first and foremost. Jesus taught us that we need friends. We need friends who will point us to God, and we need friends who will stay with us when we are hurting. Jesus also taught us to be a friend to those who are in trouble whether they know God or not. And in the end of His time on Earth, Jesus taught us to obey God and to choose His will over our own desires.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 ESV
If you’ve stayed here reading this long, you are most likely looking for some real answers and solid solutions. Perhaps you are well acquainted with Jesus. Possibly, you doubt God is real because of the unending pain and suffering in the world. And most likely you fit somewhere in between. When suffering knocks at our door, even the most faithful enduring follower is likely to wobble, question and doubt God’s goodness, at least for a moment.
Regardless, you might be trying to gut this season out all by your lonesome. This is a popular mode of suffering in our American culture. It’s not Godly, and it’s for sure not healthy. Whether you are facing the consequences of your own choices or suffering the poor choices of others, you need kindness, community and honest input.
Let’s play the what if game. What if today you choose to give Jesus a try? What if taking up your cross and following Him means that you are not alone? What if His kindness in suffering is that He will be WITH you in it even if the suffering doesn’t go away? What if you believe that He’s already been there and Jesus knows exactly how you feel and what you are going through right now? What do you have to lose?
He took up this death sentence because through His obedience Jesus would fulfill God’s good plan. His Plan A from the start was to restore us, reconcile us back to the Garden.
This is the kindness of God.
- He says He will never leave you.
- He says He knows you by name.
- He says He will help you.
- He says He will hold you by the hand.
- He says He knows you intimately.
- He says He catches your tears.
If you’re not sure you can believe this, read His Words in the Bible. His words are for you. The Bible is His love letter to you. Read it for yourself. All of it, the full counsel. You must not pick and choose what you want to keep or discard. It’s not a card game. This is life and death.
Get to know the One who made you, the one who designed you, and loves you most and best. Talk with Him. Tell God exactly how you feel, and why you are disappointed. Tell Him your doubts. He can take it, and He knows anyway. And then listen. Weep. Wait. And watch for Him to make Himself real in your life. He wants to be with you in every part of life. He is with you when you are celebrating and He’s with you when you are suffering. He will not leave you.
This is God’s great kindness. God sent His Son to earth to rescue His sons and daughters. And He will be with us until we get safely to the other side. You can go it alone, for sure. You have free will and you get to choose. But I wouldn’t advise it.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. Matthew 16:24 ESV
Eyes on Jesus and Shine,
Lisa
GO ahead and purchase my book, 31 Days of Gleaning with Ruth: questioning my way through a famine season, at Amazon.com Please make sure to leave a review on Amazon.com Your reviews help more than you know.
Click this link: https://a.co/d/egXiBor
Thank you in advance for your purchase.
~Lisa
You must be logged in to post a comment.