Childlike Blessings of Adversity
God takes no joy in seeing his children suffer. I don't like watching my 2 year old son cry, either. Yet there are moments where tears point to truths deeper than sadness.
My toddler son cries out in frustration as he learns to tie his shoe. He whines when he doesn't get both halves of the cookie. Maybe it's a hard lesson to learn that only half the cookie is for him. Perhaps he is lamenting the loss of a world where he is taken care of by others. It must be hard to transform oneself from a helpless baby into a little boy on the way to becoming a mature man who can care for himself. No wonder there are tears along the way.
I'm much older than my 2 year old son. I tie my own shoes and know how to share cookies. It takes a lot more to make me cry. My tears come when I'm at my limits. I weep when loved ones die. I cry out when I am unseen. Feeling discarded by the world around me.
I pray that these moments of adversity lead to opportunities for transformative repentance. Not “I'm sorry I won't do that again” But “Please forgive me. What do I need to change about myself to learn and grow through this pain?” Maybe my 2 year old and I have more in common than I realize.
Where might you discover your childlike nature in the face of adversity? How might God be inviting you out of your suffering toward transformation & truth?