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I went to a small house group this evening, and this subject came up.
Everyone there seemed to think the answer was yes, one man actually
said we should all be happy and smile all the time because of what
Jesus has done for us, we should feel happy and blessed all the time.
To be honest I was thinking “I would like to see how that works out
for you when you are talking and praying with someone who says
their lung cancer has come back for the second time and is untreatable!”
Or “I would like to see if you can continue to smile when you are told your
mum is going to die, go home and we will let you know when it happens.”
Or how about when friends you have known for 30 years ring up because the
wife has had a massive stroke and isn’t expected to live. You go to the hospital to
support the husband and are there until the early hours of the morning because
the husband is so distressed.
Or another friend who just after a few months of getting married, discovers she
has breast cancer.
Or what about if you are threatened with a disciplinary hearing by Work for taking
3.5 weeks off work (the first sick leave in 10 years) because you pull your back
badly and end up in agony with a slipped disc, sciatica and trapped nerve.
I’ve experienced all this and more in the past 12 months.
Anyway back to the small group. I tried to explain that we go through seasons and
even Jesus wept, that there is nothing wrong about feeling sadness, that we all go
through trials and tribulations. I also mentioned the verse at the end how we all
go through things, but they can be used by God to refine, build character, etc that we
were never promised an easy pain free life.
But I pretty much got shouted down with people saying, we just need to pray.
and peace and joy is ours and if we are walking in faith and truth then there is no
need for sadness.
I got a bit mad, thinking maybe they were a bit shallow and weren’t really being
honest. But now I’ve calmed down, I thought I would put the question here to
see what you think. Is it possible for a Christian to be at peace and feel joy
even in the most difficult circumstances. Should that be the gold standard
in our walk with Christ. If you have achieved it, how did you get to that point.
Romans 5:3-5 NKJV
[3] And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation
produces perseverance; [4] and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
[5] Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Everyone there seemed to think the answer was yes, one man actually
said we should all be happy and smile all the time because of what
Jesus has done for us, we should feel happy and blessed all the time.
To be honest I was thinking “I would like to see how that works out
for you when you are talking and praying with someone who says
their lung cancer has come back for the second time and is untreatable!”
Or “I would like to see if you can continue to smile when you are told your
mum is going to die, go home and we will let you know when it happens.”
Or how about when friends you have known for 30 years ring up because the
wife has had a massive stroke and isn’t expected to live. You go to the hospital to
support the husband and are there until the early hours of the morning because
the husband is so distressed.
Or another friend who just after a few months of getting married, discovers she
has breast cancer.
Or what about if you are threatened with a disciplinary hearing by Work for taking
3.5 weeks off work (the first sick leave in 10 years) because you pull your back
badly and end up in agony with a slipped disc, sciatica and trapped nerve.
I’ve experienced all this and more in the past 12 months.
Anyway back to the small group. I tried to explain that we go through seasons and
even Jesus wept, that there is nothing wrong about feeling sadness, that we all go
through trials and tribulations. I also mentioned the verse at the end how we all
go through things, but they can be used by God to refine, build character, etc that we
were never promised an easy pain free life.
But I pretty much got shouted down with people saying, we just need to pray.
and peace and joy is ours and if we are walking in faith and truth then there is no
need for sadness.
I got a bit mad, thinking maybe they were a bit shallow and weren’t really being
honest. But now I’ve calmed down, I thought I would put the question here to
see what you think. Is it possible for a Christian to be at peace and feel joy
even in the most difficult circumstances. Should that be the gold standard
in our walk with Christ. If you have achieved it, how did you get to that point.
Romans 5:3-5 NKJV
[3] And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation
produces perseverance; [4] and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
[5] Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.