"I am coming to you now,
but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have
the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the
world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect
them from the evil one… Sanctify them by the truth; your
word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into
the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly
sanctified." ~Jesus (John 17:13-19 NIV)
Have you noticed after a natural disaster like a tornado, hurricane, or even
a simple house fire, survivors make statements like, “Thank God we survived.
Nothing else really matters.”
In the midst of total loss,
people often find the silver lining. Jesus prayed the above prayer shortly
before being arrested and crucified. Yet, in the midst of asking God to remove
the cup of crucifixion from him, he also speaks of his joy. He longs for
his disciples to have the full measure of his joy within them.
I’ve known many discontented
people in my life, as well as a few contented folks. The stark contrast is
those with little are unencumbered by this earthly life. They’re more likely to
praise God for the little they have than to whine about the things they don’t
have. Even when faced with more loss, or possible death, they find the words
and joy to praise God.
Maybe the key is found in Jesus’
words. “…for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.”
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| Success? |
Striving to live by the world’s
definition of success will rob you of Christ’s joy. Acquiring more “stuff”
won’t fill the empty space intended to be filled with Christ. Embracing the
cross of Christ means being able to praise God even when life circumstances
scream at you not to.
A book I read many years ago, These
Strange Ashes, by missionary Elisabeth Elliot, records her first missionary
journey as a young single woman in 1952 into the jungles of Ecuador. Her work
included devising a written alphabet so a written language could be established
for the Colorado Indians. She spent nine months living among them in a
primitive lifestyle. She entrusted a fellow missionary to return to the city
with her work and then went to another part of the jungle to study the Quichua.
A short time later, Elisabeth received a letter from the missionary informing
her that the suitcase carrying all of her work had been stolen. This is an
excerpt from the book:
I read the
letter again and again. The filebox, the notebooks, the charts—all of it gone.
All of it, of course, in my own handwriting. There were no copies of anything.
It was,
after Maruja’s and Macario’s deaths, Lesson Three for me. Another experience of
stripping. The tenth Psalm came to mind: “Why dost thou hide thyself in times
of trouble?” And, as before, I heard no reply to that and other questions.
There was no light, no echo, no possible explanation. All the questions as to
the validity of my calling, or much more fundamental, God’s interest in the
Colorados’ salvation, in any mission work—Bible translation or any other
kind—all these questions came again to the fore.
To be a
follower of the Crucified means, sooner or later, a personal encounter with the
Cross. And the Cross always entails loss. The great symbol of Christianity
means sacrifice and no one who calls himself a Christian can evade this stark
fact…There is a certain reticence to infer that our little troubles may
actually be the vehicles to bring us to God. Most of us simply grin and bear
them, knowing they are the lot of all human beings, and our memories being
marvelously selective, we simply cancel them out, none the better for the
lessons we might have learned...
But there
was nothing to be done about it at all, no hope of recovery, and that was
that…It was only gradually during the months that followed that I saw that to
God nothing is finally lost…Loss and death are only the preludes to gain and
life…Faith, prayer, and obedience are our requirements. We are not offered in
exchange immunity and exemption from the world’s woes. What we are offered has
to do with another world altogether. (These Strange Ashes, 129-132)
Elisabeth married Jim Elliot in
1953, and moved deeper into the jungles to establish contact with the Auca
Indians who’d never successfully mingled with outsiders. Jim and four other
missionaries were killed by this tribe in 1956. Elisabeth, along with her
toddler daughter and a few other wives, chose to stay and continue the work
started by their husbands. They eventually succeeded in leading the Auca
Indians to Christ.
It’s our choice to give in to
despair or choose joy when faced with hardship. Joy tells you, no matter what,
God is there. He cares. He will provide peace and comfort that nothing and no one else can. Cling to that promise today.
Laura Hodges Poole
is a 2014 ACFW Genesis semi-finalist
and a 2012 RWA Emily finalist in
Christian fiction. She is also an Associate Editor with Christian Devotions ministry, as well as a
ghostwriter/collaborator. Her passion is encouraging others in their Christian
walk through her blog, "A Word of Encouragement." She may be
contacted at laurapoole565@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @ Laura_Poole.
©Laura
Hodges Poole
“A
Woman Jumping” photo courtesy of Kongsky/Freedigitalphotos.net
“House
With Money” photo courtesy of hywads/Freedigitalphotos.net
“Autumn
Twilight” photo courtesy of Evgeni Dinev/Freedigitalphotos.net
