Student Ministry - November
Dear Church Family,
Have you ever experienced times in your life where God is obviously trying to teach you a lesson? Has there been a period where it seems like everything that happens to you or around you just keeps pointing back to that truth that He wants to get across? Lately (possibly this entire year so far) the Lord has been reiterating this one point to me that I am finally beginning to grasp. And that point is that there is a difference between “hard” and “bad.”
Have you ever considered why we are tempted to tell people we had a “bad” day when really it was just a “hard” day? What was actually bad about the hardship? The Lord has been teaching me that “hard” is not the same as “bad.” When I really sit and think about things that were hard, I find that usually hard things turn out to be “good.” When I have to work hard, think hard, serve hard, or have hard conversations, all of those things tend to end up being good or becoming good through God’s providence. So, what do we really mean when we say that things have been “bad.” What would God classify as “bad?”
The reason we tend to think that “hard” is the same thing as “bad,” is often nothing more than having misplaced expectations. We expect something to be a certain way, and when it is not the way we wanted it to be, it becomes hard. And because this new, hard reality has interfered with our expectations, we now consider it a bad reality. When we equate “hard” with “bad” in this way, we are actually guilty of a form of laziness. A lazy person is someone who is primarily dedicated to their own
comfort. Proverbs 19:24 shows that a lazy person is so committed to immediate comfort that he will not do what it takes to even satisfy his own desires. A lazy person is someone who sacrifices “good” for “easy.” This is essentially what we are doing when we say that “hard” realities are necessarily “bad” realities.
Of course, bad days are real. There are hard realities that are “bad.” There are also enjoyable realities that are “bad.” So, what is it that makes something truly “bad?” In answering this question, it is important to allow God to define what “bad” actually means and how we should use it. The Bible rarely (if ever) equates the word “hard” with the word “bad.” Instead, when God created man and woman, He placed them in the Garden of Eden and gave them the responsibility to work, and He said that everything was “very good.” So just because we have to put effort into something (even a lot of effort), that does not mean that it is bad. The Bible shows us in the same story in Genesis 3 that enjoyable things are “bad” when we put them before God, and hardships are “bad” when they are a result of our sin against God. This would suggest that we are only truly having a bad day when sin is ruling in our lives.
So, what is your priority? Is it comfort or is it God? If you are having a hard time because you are prioritizing comfort over God, then I would say you are having a truly bad time. You need to evaluate your heart and your priorities, because the “hard” in your life is not leading to “good,” it is actually a warning that you are embracing that which is “bad.” If, however, you are having hardships while prioritizing God and pursuing Him, then be encouraged! Do not sacrifice the “good” for the “easy.” Instead, look to see what “good” God is making from all of the “hard” you have been experiencing. Since I started doing this, God has consistently shown me His goodness in my life, and I hope He will show you the same in yours.