Making Sense of Nonsense!!! (Part 2)

Following yesterday’s blog, the premise of my post is the fact that, contrary to what we might have been taught to believe, pain and suffering, and trials and tribulation, all form part of the fabric that God uses in shaping and molding our life stories. Before you begin to argue the basis of my theology let me point out a couple of verses in 2 Corinthians 4: 17-18 which read, “These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye” (The Message). The CEV translation declares; “These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. Things that are seen don’t last forever”

An acute understanding of these verses is essential in order to find a place in life’s seemingly arbitrary puzzle for such pain as, the deformity of a child, the magnitude of an earthquake’s devastation, or even a senseless event such as the 9-11 plane “bomb” disasters. The only way to make sense of such “nonsense” is to see these types of events through the lens of an eternal perspective. When we understand that God is writing a story much larger than just our own, when we can embrace the fact that the intersection of life’s difficulties and God’s larger purpose can often hold confusion and misunderstanding for us in the immediate, only then can we understand that what doesn’t seem to make sense in this season of life will make perfect sense in the next. For that matter, what appears to make no sense in this life will make perfect sense in the next. Proof: you in the womb.

Every moment of your time in utero prepared and equipped you for your life here on earth. Your bones solidified, your eyes developed, your umbilical cord transported nutrients into your continually developing frame… why? So that you could remain in the womb? Absolutely, resoundingly, no! Womb time equipped you for earth time. Some of your prenatal features went unused before birth. Your nose, eyes, tongue, toenails, and hair all served no function in the womb. Aren’t you glad you have them now? We often think that certain chapters in this life seem so unnecessary, such as suffering, loneliness, disease, holocausts, martyrdom, and even the 9-11 disaster. If we assume that the world exists just for pre-grave happiness, then these atrocities disqualify it from doing so.

But what if this earth is eternity’s womb? Is it potentially possible that these challenges and difficulties serve to prepare and equip us fro the world to come? Better yet, what if your current trials and suffering are merely preparation for your next season of life? Imagine what it would be like if you had to go through this life without those features that you developed but didn’t need while you were in the womb, but that are essential to the life you’re living now. Maybe, just maybe, you’re in the womb of your life’s story, being prepared for what the future holds in store for you. Live the adventure! Enjoy your story!!