“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize….Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave” (1 Corinthians 9:24, 26-27).

Suffering. Pain. Hardship.

I don’t like them either.

But, if you’re interested in growth, sometimes suffering, pain, and hardship are absolutely necessary to help us grow. So, the Apostle Paul tells us to get our minds straight about suffering, pain, and hardship. Don’t try to avoid them. Grow through them.

John Ortberg writes:

Imagine you have a child and you are handed a script of her entire life laid out before you. Better yet, you are given an eraser and five minutes to edit out whatever you want. You read that she will have a learning disability in grade school. Reading, which comes easily for some kids, will be laborious for yours. In high school your child will make a great  circle of friends, then one of them will die of cancer. After high school she will get into the college she wanted to attend, but there she will lose a leg in a car crash. Following that, she will go through a difficult depression. A few years later she will get a great job, then lose that job in an economic downturn. She will get married, but then go through the grief of separation.

With this script of your child’s life before you and five minutes to edit it, what would you erase? That is the question psychologist Jonathan Haidt asked in this hypothetical exercise. Wouldn’t you want to take out all the stuff that would cause them pain?

We live in a generation of “helicopter parents” who constantly swoop into their children’s lives to make sure no one is mistreating them and that they experience one unobstructed success after another in school, sports, and relationships. Whoa! If you could wave a wand and erase every failure, disappointment, and suffering, are you sure it would be a good idea? Would that enable your children to grow into the best version of themselves? Is it possible that in some way people actually need adversity and setbacks – maybe even something like trauma – to reach the fullest level of development and growth?

That’s why God didn’t rescue Daniel from the lion’s den, but in it. That’s why God didn’t rescue Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego from the furnace but in it. Because, there is a growth and a trust that can only be learned through hardship.

So, the next time you find yourself in a difficult situation, instead of praying that God rescues you from that situation, pray for God’s presence and guidance through that difficult situation. And watch what God will do through you.

“In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army” (2 Samuel 11:1).

This is one of the most descriptive sentences in the Bible. This reads like the introduction to a movie, an epic, an intro to a fairy tale. Unfortunately, for David, this would turn out to be a nightmare.

There are several key lessons we learn about living a God-honoring life and character from this verse. As many of you know, this is the story of David and Bathsheba.

The first spiritual lesson we learn from this verse is you can avoid a whole lot of trouble when you are where you are supposed to be.

• “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war…”
• It’s spring time. It’s the time when kings go off to war
• David is a king
• Thus, what we expect to read next is that David went out with Joab and his men to battle.
• But that’s not what we get

David remained in Jerusalem while he sent out his army to battle. David’s supposed to be with his men, leading them in battle. Had David been where he was supposed to be, Bathsheba never happens.

That’s the case with us too. If we are where we are supposed to be – at work, in the office, at the gym, at church, at school, at home, wherever – at the time that we are supposed to be there, sin doesn’t have an opportunity. Sin always lurks around in the shadows of secrecy and lies.

Be where you are supposed to be, when you’re supposed to be there, and you can avoid a whole lot of heartache.

The second spiritual lesson is secrecy kills character. Someone ought to always know where you are. If you find yourself intentionally hiding your location, something is fishy. Even when I step out of the office for a little while, I always tell our staff where I’m off too. I do that to keep myself accountable. Someone ought to always know where I am. This is for my protection.

You want to live a God-honoring life? Be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there. Avoid secrecy. Secrecy kills character.

“If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, LORD, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you” (Psalm 130:3-4).

God is sovereign. God is omnipotent. God is omniscient.

And, God is loving. God is kind. God is merciful.

God foresaw our every sin, our every failure, our every backsliding. God knew everything about us.

YET, God sent his Son to die for us.

YET, God chooses to pursue the lost.

YET, God forgives repeat sinners.

What can we do in view of such love but worship him?