Tentpegs

I’m back in civilization (see my blog scheduled to be posted later today at www.patrickmead.net) and trying to swim through a tsunami of work. Still, there is time to update there with a couple of questions.

I do not believe that God is the cause of suffering (except when we deserve it,) or that He causes us to suffer to become more mature or bring glory to Himself, but I have trouble understanding 2 Cor 12:7-10. Even though Paul’s thorn in the flesh is a messenger of Satan, it appears God is keeping it there to mature Paul and bring glory to Himself. This appears to contradict what I believe, what am I missing something here?

I’m not sure that God causes suffering in the general sense of that term, but I could be wrong. There are times that His judgments absolutely create suffering — and we could quote examples of that from scripture the rest of the day — but the idea that God makes our life difficult on purpose just because He can seems inconsistent with His character. I’m sure commenters will alert me if I am wrong (and comments are the best part of this blog, as a rule).

It is plain to me that God, while not the source of our pain, does not ride in and remove it every time, either. Whatever Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, God wasn’t going to remove it. Why? Here we enter the murky waters of speculation so it might be best to remember what God told Paul — His grace was covering Paul in spite of the thorn, the agent of Satan. Experiencing suffering is not a sign of a lack of God’s love or interest in you.

What if God kept us from experiencing trial and suffering? According to James, we would never mature. That makes sense. A baby has to learn how to walk and that usually requires a great deal of trial and error. We could save the baby all those bruises and angst by just carrying them around everywhere… but that wouldn’t be good for them. I remember long, long nights puzzling over verb declensions in Gaelic or Old English. My profs could have made my life much more pleasant by not requiring me to do homework, but that wouldn’t have been good for me. We all understand that, but how in the world could it be good for Paul to suffer an attack from Satan?

Look at it this way: what are the worst sins in your life? I am not talking about something you did when you were a teenager, but your current condition. What aspect of your character or what habit do you have that is the worst thing in your life, that thing that keeps you from being all that God has called you to be? I know I can answer that in a heartbeat. I know the sins that “so easily beset” me and grieve that I have not been able to completely rid myself of them after all these years. Your sins will probably be different but there are enough to go around — lust, greed, envy, anger, bitterness, divisiveness, apathy, gluttony… you get the idea. Now… what kind of person would you be if you were entirely free from sin? Don’t get excited too quickly — it might not be as good a thing as you imagine. If I were able to beat the last vestiges of Satan’s hold on me, I imagine I would become rather judgmental about those who still struggled. If I had no sin in my life, I wonder if I would have any love there, either. This isn’t to say I am comfortable with my sin or that I welcome it. God forbid! It is a messenger from Satan that reminds me I am not in heaven yet. I am redeemed at a great cost because I have done great wrong (in my mind and in my life). It reminds me of my need for grace and makes me far more likely to offer grace to others in turn.

Some of you might be already composing a reply to the effect that Paul’s thorn in the flesh wasn’t a sin, but a physical ailment. That is possible but I’ve never bought that idea. Some read a few of his statements to indicate that he had eye problems and contemporary accounts of his appearance seem to agree that he was bald, stoop shouldered… not a “looker” if you get my drift, but I remain unconvinced that Paul was fighting a messenger of Satan that was purely physical, especially after Reading Romans 7.

But what if it was? Okay, let’s go with that. That works, too. My frequent headaches help me slow down, think a bit more, and have compassion for others who suffer aches and pains. I have been offered dozens of “cures” for the headaches over the years but quit trying to fix them a few years back; I realized that they made me a better person. I had no sympathy for people who said they had back problems until I injured my back and… wow! As I pile the mileage on this body of mine and clog up my brain with trivia and “The Biggest Loser” type TV, I gain more sympathy for others whose bodies and brains are giving them trouble. Have you ever met someone who never gets a cold, never has a headache, and has never been sick a day in their life? How sympathetic, empathetic, and kind are they to others who suffer? If that illness is one that is odd and not visible such as intractable pain or one of the newer autoimmune diseases… only those who’ve “been there” can be servants of God, bringing comfort, understanding, and care.

Cutting to the chase: we need to struggle, so God let’s us. He reminds us that our salvation is not in question just because we are struggling. It is when we give up the struggle, lay down and quit, or join happily with Satan in rebellion that we are in danger.

. . . if there is eternal light and day in heaven, does that mean that we shall never again have and see wonderful, glorious sunrises and sunsets? [Every one we see] seems to be each more gorgeous than any we’ve ever seen before, as if somehow preparing us for eternal heaven. But, that somehow seems sad to me not to ever experience them again.

I’ve never been asked this one before! Cool. We used to live on a mountain in West Virginia. The sunsets were so spectacular that I actually resented anyone or anything that kept me down in the town (Morgantown), making me miss the light show. I had a relative, since passed, who painted nothing but sunsets. She didn’t paint well, but she kept the makers of orange paint in business for years. She couldn’t get enough of them.

In heaven, God is the light and there is no setting sun. Will this sadden you? No. Frankly, I don’t think you’ll miss them. But, if you do, God might do some reruns for you or provide something else to make sure that heaven is truly a place of joy for you. I’ve always loved the answer Jim McGuiggan gave his young son when he asked him what heaven was going to be like. With apologies — because I can’t quote it exactly — he said something like this: “Heaven is a place where, if you want to play, there is always someone to play with and the toys are grand. And it is a place where, if you want to walk, the weather is always fine. It is a place where, if you want to be quiet, you can be quiet. And if you just want a cuddle, you can always get a cuddle.”

Whatever it takes to make it truly heaven for you, God will do. Don’t expect it to be like it is here, though. God has more ideas than can be held in this physical universe. He has some real surprises up His sleeve. I can hardly wait to see them!