Why Should we be Thankful for our God Given Circumstances of Life?

June 7, 2011 - PRLog -- Problems as Circumstances

Perhaps the most famous American optimist of the 20th century was the Reverend Norman Vincent Peale, author of the book series The Power of Positive Thinking.  One of our favorite stories from Reverend Peale’s writings addressed the most frequent complaint he received from his congregation and listeners worldwide.  The question was:

   * “Dr. Peale, Dr. Peale – Can you please tell us how to get rid of all of our problems?”

Dr. Peale’s consistent response was:

   * “The day you get rid of all of your problems is the day you are six feet under.”

Dr. Peale viewed problems as God-given circumstances of life to which we could apply our God-given talents, gifts, skills, abilities and creativity to find solutions.  For him, problems were the very breath of life, the way we know are alive!

Numerous scriptures serve as a foundation for Dr. Peale’s view of the circumstances of life.  Two New Testament verses that we find particularly germane to this discussion are:

   * 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

   * James 1:2-3: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Both of the above verses further reinforce the source of all life circumstances and the attitude we should take towards them.  Reality is not something to complain about, but is the food that God has provided for our self-improvement; the nourishment we need to continually learn and develop out skills and abilities.

The Genesis of Circumstances on Earth

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were presented with a lush and beautiful set of circumstances some that were designed to trigger temptation.  We all know that Adam and Eve made the choice to disobey God’s only instruction for living in the Garden.  That fateful choice was not a circumstance.

What happened next was the beginning of all circumstances here on earth.  Adam and Eve and all their descendents were banished to a life of dealing with difficulty, turmoil, pain and the temptation of evil.  They would live a life on earth that would end in death and return to dust from whence God made man.

The Reality of Becoming Real

In the children’s story, The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams, two stuffed animals--a Rabbit and Skin horse--discuss reality and the process of becoming real.   In the story, to be real is the hope and dream for all toy animals because it is then that they receive the gift of life.  The Skin Horse explains that becoming real is something that happens over time through the love of a child.  To go from the non-living to the reality of living requires a profound kind of love that goes well beyond the child’s need for a plaything.  Such life and hence reality-giving-love is completely selfless.

God offers us the chance to be real through His selfless love for us.  We know he has such unconditional love for us from John 3:16:

   * “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son . . .”

The power of such love is explained by the Skin Horse when he tells Rabbit:

   * “Once you are real you can’t become unreal again, it lasts forever.”

The apostle John speaks about such everlasting life in the remainder of John 3:16 when he says:

   * “. . . that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Christ’s sacrifice on the cross gave us the chance for life; a new reality of the spirit, prophesized in John 5:25:

   * “. . . a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”

The Rabbit, like Adam and Eve, and Dr. Peale’s congregation all had concerns about the pain of becoming real.  There is no doubt that Christ suffered unbearable pain on the cross in sacrifice for our sins, in order to give us life and make us real again.  The Skin Horse further explains that when you are real, you not only do not mind being hurt, but you can’t be hurt despite time, aging, loose and baggy skin, the loss of hair or even an eye.

So yes painful circumstances are God-given, but God also gave us his profound and selfless love so that we could rise above the pain and suffering to endure through the circumstances of life.  Rejoicing in the God-given circumstances and love in order to overcome them is what makes us real, fills every moment with the everlasting excitement and suspense of solving our daily problems.

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