What makes adversity and suffering so hard for us to deal with?

I believe the answer is because our goals and priorities are in direct conflict with God’s and if you are like me, you can be a “natural born whiner!”

Where does the conflict exist? I believe there are three!

God says

* “Eternity is the most important; this life is just Pre-season!”

* “It's all about character development & getting people into Heaven“

* “Character comes thru suffering & Jesus opened the door to heaven
thru His personal suffering!”

We believe

* Here & now is the most important, don't bother me with eternity!

* My comfort & personal happiness is most important not others or
character!

* God, if it gets too hard you are going to piss-me-off and I won’t
want anything to do with you!

What is our solution! We must surrender our will and trust that the coach (God) knows best! We must be willing to try it His way!

What good is Jesus as we deal with life’s adversity and suffering? Two things! He will at times lift our burden (when we need the rest) plus He can give us joy in spite of the burden!

Think of the last time you spotted someone doing the bench press. After you helped your friend with his last rep, you let him walk around and rest a bit but then you told him to get back on the bench and finish his last set. Jesus is like that. He will help lift the burden for us (when we need a rest) but then say “You need to try again and get stronger. You need to learn to carry this!”

The word Joy is also a fascinating word. It literally means “Confidence in God’s direction!” So, if you are confident in God’s direction during times of adversity and suffering you can still have Joy! Nehemiah 8:10 “The joy of the Lord is my strength!” Or it could be stated another way, “confidence is God’s direction gives me strength!”

Conclusion: Adversity and suffering is never fun but it is a fact of life. When it hits we can either rant and rave and learn nothing or we can trust a loving God to use it for great things not only in our life but others! Also, if we don't get a grip on or an understanding of God's priorities, we will always be running into the wind!