Life’s Not Fair

I’m just like you. I don’t want any heartache or difficulty in my life.

None of us wants to suffer or go through hard times, but our greatest witness occurs when we face difficulty.

People who are not yet believers don’t seem to be impressed when our lives go well. Maybe they don’t even notice. What they do notice is when life goes badly and we live out our faith in the midst of it. When they see us persevering and holding to our faith and beliefs when times are hard, they take notice.

You may have seen the playoff game between the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles. The whole game came down to a last second field goal from long range. Cody Parkey, a kicker who has been named to the Pro Bowl and other prestigious awards, lined up to make the kick. As he was approaching the ball, the Eagles called time out to “freeze the kicker.” Parkey kicked the ball through the uprights, but the Eagles’ timeout took precedence. Parkey lined up again and missed the kick by an inch. The ball hit the left upright and then hit the crossbar and fell to the ground without going through the goalposts, an improbable event for anyone to ever see.

It was later learned that one of the Eagles had partially blocked the kick, but the damage was done with the fans.

What was amazing was Parkey’s willingness to accept blame and to answer every question asked of him. Reporters complimented him for taking on such a disappointing outcome.

Parkey spoke of how disappointed he was. He said that he understood how the fans felt because no one wanted to make the kick more than him. On the Today show, the hosts asked how he was handling his disappointment. He responded: “I feel worse than anybody about missing that kick because I wanted to make it more than anybody.” He accepted the fact that “I let the fans, my teammates, and the whole organization down.”

During the interview, viewers saw an amazing peacefulness that could not be understood. He explained how he handled such intense criticism and hard times. “Football is what I do. Its not who I am.” He further explained that he had tried “through good or bad, to give praise . . . to the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

While people listen when we win, they identify with us when we lose. It’s then that we can show how God cares for us and ministers to us in times of trouble.

I don’t want trouble, but I do want to be faithful no matter what may come. Jesus promised His disciples that during times of intense persecution, He would give them the words to say. Jesus kept his promise and the world saw how those early Christians responded differently. Many of those who witnessed their persecution chose to follow Christ as well.

Let us use our hurts to help those around us experience the peace of God that passes all understanding.

 

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One Response

  1. A great saint I was related to endured the deaths of a teenaged daughter to Encephalitis and a 40-something son to brain cancer. Her husband suffered a cancer resulting in a procedure, hemipelvectomy, that greatly limited his mobility, and ultimately took his life. Throughout this she endured untold times in hospital for her own physical limitations. During a visit I had with her I asked: “How many times had someone quoted Romans 8:28 to you?” She actually laughed and said, “Probably thousands.” Then my mother (you probably saw that one coming!) added,”Son, most people do not notice when things are going ‘right,’ but when we give honor to Jesus in the bad times they pay attention.” Then she said, “Remember this Lon: There is a stewardship we are to faithfully execute when suffering.” I’ve never forgotten it. Great post.

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