It's Not About Me

Again, I have so much jumbling around in my heart and head, it's taking me forever to figure out how to put it into a cohesive thought, so bear with me!

Yesterday, while listening to my BSF leader teach on suffering and comfort, she mentioned a quote by Oswald Chambers that has stuck with me since she said it and I cannot stop thinking about it.  I think it has seriously changed my perspective and it couldn't have come at a better time. Chambers says;

"If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a multitude of experiences that are not meant for you at all, they are meant to make you useful in His hands." 

I think as someone who tends to the selfish side of things, when I'm facing a rough time on this journey I'm on and things don't go as I have planned them, I so easily fall into the trap of "why me?" and "what have I done to deserve this?"  All that does is put me into the center of my circumstances and once my focus is off of Jesus, fear, anger, and confusion sets in and turns into that downward spiral of self pity and doubt.  Instead of trying to see things in God's perspective, I'm blowing up balloons, putting streamers up, and getting my party hat ready for the biggest pity party of my life.  

So if there's one thing I've learned, it's the pain, anger, and confusion that trials bring is that it's not about me. It's just not. When you look at it with God's perspective, It's about Jesus and the sanctification process and the amazing part is that, as Hebrews says, it's for the purpose of sharing in His holiness! Check it out:

...but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, (aint THAT the truth!) but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:10b-11.

We are able to share in  God's holiness when we go through the discipline of enduring hardships.  And yes, being pruned and refined through a trial is often times, very painful because Jesus is removing junk from our lives in order to put in its place, a "peaceful fruit of righteousness".  Not only does suffering produce righteousness, it is also to produce steadfastness, as James 1:2-4 says;

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness (love that word!). And let steadfastness have it's full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." 

To top it all off, we are not to wallow in self pity when we face trials, but we are to, as James says, "count it all joy". He wasn't the only one to say that either. When Paul wrote to Peter he said;

"But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed." 1 Peter 4:13

I guess what I'm trying to say in this long rambly post of mine, is that instead of focusing on the bad of my circumstances, I need to look to Jesus, who already endured suffering on the cross for me, so I can rejoice in my salvation and use this time to see how I am becoming more like Jesus, which is the ultimate goal!