Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Patience (08/21/08)
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TITLE: Going Through | Previous Challenge Entry
By Dan Nelson
08/25/08 -
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I sat at a stop sign, running a bit late for my 6 pm meeting at church. It was rush hour, so this was an awkward time to turn left. An older woman was directly across from me on the through street, also waiting to turn left, but watching as car after car slowly drove between us. There were several long (adequate in my estimation) breaks in the traffic stream, but she was being extra safe. Several years ago, I might have sought out a quicker way, but today I was at peace with the wait. She looked over at me now and then, to assure me she truly was anxious to turn left. I expressed no angst toward her.
As with any trial, God often uses it for instruction. I recently served on a team sharing an intense 4-day short course in Christianity with 35 inmates. It was a powerful experience; spirits were broken and we all encountered the Holy Spirit. As I watched the cars go by, I found myself comparing my patience trial at this intersection with the trials experienced by my brothers serving life sentences under maximum-security? On the surface, this comparison seems ludicrous and insensitive, but it is more complex than it appears. True, for non-Christian inmates in the general population, prison is mind-numbing bondage and torment. Yet, for those who encountered Christ, their future is now a place of hope and purpose, instead of isolation and bitterness. Their prison walls are now all but gone.
Robert, who was one of the 35 residents we met this time, is a profound example of a person whose spirit has been liberated. During his court trial, the District Attorney approached his lawyer with a plea bargain, to substitute 5 years of parole for a lengthy prison sentence. Robert prayed about his options, discerned the plea bargain was not from God, rejected the offer and submitted his life to prison. He shared with me, he has never felt so much joy and peace in his life, and God uses him in a powerful way each day. Robert is a missionary who can express his love and compassion for his fellow inmates from behind the bars. With anticipation, he looks forward to each task God has for him there, and anticipates serving God wherever He leads him next.
What does this say about the purpose of our trials? If we believe God inflicts trials on us to apply a measure of suffering from which we can grow stronger, we will suffer in them. Alternatively, if we believe our trial is a gift from God, to rely on Him more as we minister to those He puts in our path, maybe the walls of our ‘prison’ will likewise crumble. As an extreme example, Christ could have avoided His crucifixion, but He knew if it was God’s will, it was good. Consequently, it liberated Him, and all humanity.
The lady finally turned left, and I made it to my meeting with a little time to spare. The time I had for reflection was well worth the wait. Is my spirit really as liberated as my Christian brother Robert’s? Only God knows. In the big scheme of things, anything we do, whether it ‘requires’ patience, or is something we anticipate with great excitement, will always be good as long as our feet stay on the path God wills. That’s His promise.
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