Gems for the Journey: Keep Playing Even When You’re Hurt

BY VERONICA MARTIN THOMAS (M.Div’07)

“And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:4)

From our text, James never suggested to his readers that Christianity would be an easy way for them. He warns them that they would find themselves involved in what the Authorized Version calls diverse temptations. The Christian brother or sister must expect to be jostled by trials on the Christian way. All kinds of experiences will come to us. There will be the test of the sorrows and the disappointments which seek to take our faith away. God allows certain tests in our faith for a purpose.  “The trying of your faith worketh endurance” (KJV) and if it is genuine faith, testing and trials develop its persistence.

God tests us in order that He might produce patience in our lives. It is patience which will make you a full grown Christian, but how does God produce patience in you? You will never become patient by simply trying it; but neither will the Holy Spirit place it on a silver platter and offer it to you as a gift. Patience comes through suffering and testing. Have you ever noticed how God uses the faults of others to rid us of our own faults? Sometimes God has to use the same paper process in our lives. Fine wood furniture must endure a great deal of sanding. All the rough places, the nicks, burrs, and splinters; must be sanded until they are perfectly smooth, unnoticed but the eye and unfelt by the hand. Only then is it ready for the finishing process. God wants to do the same things with every Christian. He seeks to makes us fine furnishings in his heavenly home. Timothy calls it “…a vessel unto honor..” (2 Tim. 2:21). To do this will rid us our chronic character flaws so He sends His “sanders” into our lives.

God’s “sanders” are impatient people, mean people, lazy people, inconsiderate people, irresponsible people, rebellious people, etc. God deliberately places these abrasive souls near us. They must rub against us as sandpaper rubs against unfinished wood furniture. All the nicks, burrs, and splinters must go from the wood. That is, if we aspire to be a “vessel unto honor” in the Father’s house. You and I must keep playing even when hurt. While we are fixing our eyes on their faults, God is fixing His attention on our faults. While we are praying that their faults would cease, God is longing for us to change. God’s sanding process works like this: The Lord exposes you to those who openly do evil. In order to give you an opportunity to “fret not thyself because of evildoers” (Ps. 37:1) Our evildoer’s evil doing is not the object of God dealings. He will deal with your evildoer, but later on, not now. At present, He seeks to sand away your fretfulness, your angry reaction to their evil doings. God is being tough with you so you will becomes tough with yourself. The instant you become tough on yourself, your job becomes easy.

At church your Christian brethren always look to you to take the responsibilities, make the decisions, do all the work, and see that things get done properly. Meanwhile, they help as little as they can. Their apathy and irresponsibility are irritatingly evident. They mean it against you for evil, but God means it to you for good. God is using their irresponsibility to rub away your irresponsibility and to sand away that subtle self pity that rises when others put things off on you. Then let the buck stop with you. Let God purge you. Forgive those who should help, but don’t. Accept the duties you know the Lord would have you to do. Fulfill them faithfully “as to The Lord and not unto men, and you will grow strong in The Lord.”

Let God finish his sanding process in us. “Let us go on unto perfection” (Heb. 6:1). As we grow older in Jesus Christ there should be more and more of the reflection of Jesus Christ upon us. All the time we should be ridding ourselves of old faults and achieving new virtues, There can be no standing still in the Christian life. “He who ceases to be better ceases to be good”
When we first encounter these offensive folks, most of us rebel. The rub of these sandpaper types is wrong and in our distress, we turn to prayer. Lord liberate us set us free. Don’t let the wicked oppress us. Slowly, we begin to realize that God is not going to remove these sandpaper folks, at least, not for the time being.

Go into the vineyard and work as a co-worker with God. Their will be times, when you will have to “bear your burdens in the heat of the day” and there will be no days when the rains will come. No matter what sacrifices we may have to make, Jesus Christ always will be there to carry us through. Just labor with God, “Looking to Jesus; the Author and Finisher of our faith.” The song writers declare: “My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior Divine”; “He’s my rock in a weary land; My shelter in a time of a storm.” Keep on serving Him until you die; if you want to hear Him say, “ Well done my good and faithful servant!”

Let us respond to the Word of God. Amen, so be it.