Everything's Canceled! Dealing with Disappointment

Abbey Wedgeworth

On March 14, actress Jennifer Garner extended a social-media invitation to “preschoolers to professionals” whose games, meets, recitals, and productions had been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She urged them to share what they’d been working on (using the hashtag #heyjenlookatme) so that she could share it “with the world,” adding tenderly, “because I want to see.”

I enjoyed following along as she shared dance routines and monologues, but I’ve also grieved as I’ve considered the tangential losses that the coronavirus has caused all over the world: massive denominations with canceled meetings, brides with canceled weddings, seniors who won’t get to walk across the stage in cap and gown, athletes who have lost the chance to compete, students who have lost one-eighth of their college experience, families whose vacations have been canceled, fans who don’t get to see their favorite artists, children who won’t be able to share cupcakes with friends on their birthdays. Some of these things can be rescheduled, but some cannot.

It can be hard to know how to deal with personal disappointments, how to feel about our own feels in response to loss. But life in a fallen world is marked by suffering, great and small, and pandemics only highlight what has always been true.

Here are four places the Bible invites you to look as you suffer disappointment.

1. Look Upward

Rather than dismiss our own sufferings compared to those of others, or distance ourselves from God in frustration, we can draw near to our Savior, who suffered greatly so that we can pour out our hearts before God (Heb. 4:16). We can be honest in prayer. God knows our thoughts before they’re formed, our words before they’re on our tongues (Ps. 139:2–4). His knowledge of us and of how this pandemic uniquely affects us is perfect and complete.

God also knows by experience the sorrow of this world through the life of his Son, Jesus (Isa. 53:3). Our great high priest both sympathizes with us and intercedes for us (Heb. 4:15). When we look to Jesus, we’re reminded that God loves us and is working for our good (Rom 8:28; 1 John 4:10).

The cross of Christ is the powerful declaration that God not only sees you—he is with you.

Better than a celebrity’s expressed desire to see our video clips, the cross of Christ is the powerful declaration that God not only sees you—he is with you. Take your feelings of disappointment and loneliness straight to him, and learn afresh his comfort, care, and concern for you.

2. Look Inward

Desire and anticipation are not wrong, and neither are disappointment and grief. But the disappointment we feel in response to what we’ve lost to the COVID-19 pandemic can tell us a great deal about our hearts.

The object of our disappointment tells us what we love (e.g., fun, family, events or experiences, competition, learning,  memory-making, and so on). But the magnitude of that disappointment can sometimes reveal an inordinate desire or disordered love, unmasking something we love or desire more than God himself.

As we pray about our disappointments, God often tenderly reveals our sin to us. Thanks be to God that in Christ we are offered both forgiveness for disordered loves and the help of the Spirit to reorder them (1 John 1:9). And by his grace, through this reorientation of our hearts, we, like the apostle Paul, learn the secret to being content in all circumstances (Phil. 4:11–13).

3. Look Around

In Scripture, one of God’s clearly expressed purposes for our pain is that through it, he makes us able to comfort others. As you draw near and receive the comfort of the Lord in your place of disappointment, you become better able to minister to others in their grief (1 Cor. 3:1–7). As he reorders your affections, helping you obey the greatest commandment, you become better able to fulfill the second: to love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:36–40).

And so, a third place to look in the midst of disappointment is at the people around you. Consider how you might be a blessing. A friend whose wedding was canceled by her venue donated her flowers to nursing homes where residents were lonely without visits from their loved ones. Artist Andrew Peterson’s tour was postponed, but he is reading aloud to homebound fans via the internet.

Who is your neighbor? Who do you know who might be sick, or lonely, or afraid? Do they know the truth of the gospel? Consider the disappointments of others, and ask God what good works he may have for you to walk in during this strange time (Eph. 2:10). Show them that you see, so that they will know that he sees.

4. Look Ahead

Any disappointment we experience in this life is a reminder that this world is not as it should be. Though hope deferred makes the heart sick, a promise fulfilled is a tree of life, and all of God’s promises in Jesus Christ are Yes and Amen (Prov. 13:12; 2 Cor. 1:20).

Though we need not borrow trouble from tomorrow, and though we’re wise to rest in the knowledge that we’re held and kept in this present moment, we do well to look far, far ahead—through the disappointment we now feel so acutely, into eternity, where there will be no more reason for sorrow, no more cause for disappointment, and no more sickness threatening our loved ones or livelihood.

The marriage supper of the lamb is a feast that cannot be delayed and will not be canceled.

This is cause for rejoicing even, and perhaps especially, amid griefs great and small. This hope provides an anchor for the soul in uncertain times (Heb. 6:19). This hope will not disappoint or put us to shame (Rom. 5:5).

As we draw near to our faithful Savior in disappointment, he wipes away our tears, cures us of blindness to our sin, helps us to see the hurts and needs of others, and lifts our gaze to see how he’s at work in the present to bring about the redemption of all things. The marriage supper of the lamb is a feast that cannot be delayed and will not be canceled. The plans of God, often perplexing and always perfect, can never be thwarted.

Abbey Wedgeworth is a wife, mother, and nap-time writer living in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. She is passionate about helping young moms apply the riches of Christ to the realities of motherhood. You can find more of her writing on her blog or connect with her through Instagram.

Posted at: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/canceled-disappointment-pandemic/

Prayer Puts Things Into Perspective

 by Paul Tautges

On a recent trip Barb and I visited a beautiful property. One of the features on the grounds was a huge hedge maze consisting of lots of misleading turns and dead ends. It would really be easy to get lost in there. At the maze we visited, as at most similar mazes elsewhere, there was a tall platform overlooking the hedges. From this platform, an overseer could see the whereabouts of anyone in the maze. I’m sure it is there to give direction to someone who might panic as they are trying to find their way out.
 
“Sometimes we too feel like we’re in a maze and don’t know which way to turn. We fear that if we take a wrong turn, it will lead to a dead end from which we might not be able to escape. When we’re feeling lost and frustrated, the Lord knows our circumstances and is eager to direct us if we’ll just ask him. Prayer puts us in touch with the One who sees the beginning from the end. The One who can give us his perspective on our worries and fears. The One who promises to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). The One on whom we can cast all of our cares because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
 
Our verses from Philippians 4 also give us direction about the characteristics of prayer that smothers worry and how we can implement them:
 
Pray specifically. Paul uses different words for “prayer” in verse 6. The first is a general word for prayer, but the second word, “supplication,” refers to an urgent specific plea. This is reinforced when he adds, “let your requests be made known to God.” I’ve heard some folks say that when they pray they don’t ask for anything for themselves. This might sound very selfless and holy, but it is wrong! The prayer Jesus taught his own disciples includes specific personal requests. It begins with praise to our Father in heaven and ends with his kingdom and power and glory; but in the middle supplications Jesus teaches us to ask God to meet our important personal needs. “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:11–13). Requests for daily provision, forgiveness, and protection are quite personal, and we are urged to bring them before the Lord regularly. This includes things we are prone to worry about. Do not be reluctant to cry out to the Lord about anything and everything.
 
Pray remembering God’s goodness. You’ll also notice that Paul tells us to pray “with thanksgiving.” Praying with thanksgiving requires us to remember all of the good things the Lord has done for us and is doing for us now. After all, there are more things in your mindscape than just worry weeds. Worries might be in the foreground at the moment, but there are many other things to which you should draw your attention and for which you should be thankful. This isn’t easy because our natural tendency is to focus on our worries rather than to give thanks. When you are worried, bring your cares to the Lord, but also remember his kindness and goodness to you right now and in the past.
 
Pray expecting an answer. Another reason we can pray with thanksgiving is that we can expect an answer. Sometimes the answer might not be what we expect, but the Lord has promised to answer. As many have observed, the answers the Lord gives can be “yes,” “no,” or “not yet.” We might always like a “yes” but the Lord our heavenly Father knows what is best and he will not give us something that isn’t good for us. When I was in college I thought the Lord’s plan for me was to become a famous tuba performer. Yes, that’s right—I said, a tuba performer! He had given me lots of success up to that point and I was a performance major in my college. I decided that I would audition for the United States Marine Band (The President’s Own) in Washington, DC, and the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. I didn’t make either one. It was “no” and “no” from the Lord. I was disappointed, but in closing those two doors the Lord was directing me elsewhere—toward the ministry.
 
Pray expecting that God will want your response, too. As we pray, the Lord might make it clear that there is something that we need to do. For example, if you’re worried about a relationship, God might lead you to have a conversation with the individual with whom you’ve had difficulties. He will certainly impress upon you the need to look for and apply for jobs if you have lost your job. New health challenges will require a change in diet, exercise, and lifestyle. Be ready to be directed toward things you might need to do regarding your situation. This leading will always be according to and consistent with his Word. If you feel that God is calling you to do something that is beyond you—pray about that as well. If he is calling you to do something, he will also give you his Spirit to do it. Pray for the Spirit to help you and direct you so that you can follow Jesus wherever he calls you to go. Fundamentally, Paul reminds us that the Lord will answer, and that we should be prepared for where that answer may lead or what that answer may call us to do.
 
Prayer leads to peace. Paul tells us that the result of our prayer is that “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Notice that this doesn’t promise that the problems will go away, but that even in the midst of our problems, anxiety can be replaced by peace.

Excerpted adapted from Mindscape: What to Think About Instead of Worrying by Timothy Z. Witmer. ©2014 by New Growth Press. It is available in print and eBook formats.

Timothy Z. Witmer, MDiv, DMin is Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. He has also served for more than thirty-five years in pastoral ministry, currently as the pastor of St. Stephen Reformed Church. Tim is the author of Mindscape: What to Think about Instead of Worrying, The Shepherd Leader, and The Shepherd Leader at Home.

Posted at: https://counselingoneanother.com/2020/03/23/prayer-puts-things-into-perspective/

Don't Forget the Goal

KIMBERLY CORNELIUS

Distractions. Idols. Plans. Upheavals. Worries. Illness.

I have a problem. Well, a lot of problems, but one problem in particular. In the midst of a busy semester, in the midst of pursuing entertainment, in the midst of pride and temptations to sin, in the midst of drastic changes to my schedule due to concerns about the coronavirus—in the midst of all these things, I have forgotten the main thing: Christlikeness.

Busyness has always been an obstacle to my spending time with God, but I’m finding out that having extra time can also be an obstacle. Having extra time means that I have more opportunities to live for myself, more opportunities to feed my own desires and cater to my own comfort. Having extra time means that I am more likely to avoid scheduling in time with God than ever before.

But God has so much more in store for me than what I can see right now. Right now, all I can see is an overthrown schedule and a loss of some freedom. Right now, all I can see are greater opportunities to serve and please myself. But that’s not what God sees.

When God looks at my personal choices— the poor time management decisions I’ve been making, the wasted opportunities—He sees worthless distractions that are hindering me from pursuing Him with my whole heart.

When God looks at my heart—my fears and frustrations about the future, my strong grip on pride—He sees a child who desperately needs to let go of her idols and find her shelter in Him.

When God looks at my life—my altered schedule, my canceled plans—He sees His own hand moving the pieces of my world with the ultimate goal of conforming me into the image of Jesus Christ.

God hasn’t lost sight of the goal, even though I’ve closed my eyes to it. He hasn’t stopped working, even though I’m not aware of all He’s doing. And He hasn’t stopped pursuing me, even though I’m not pursuing Him.

My plans seem so important, but in the last week I’ve seen how flexible, transient, and ultimately how inconsequential they really are. My plans are changing, but God’s plans for me to be like Jesus have not changed. He is using all these circumstances to keep changing me into the image of His Son, even though I have been completely missing out on that because I’ve been so focused on everything else going on.

Romans 8:28-29 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

God’s plans are good—every single one of them—and His ultimate plan is that I would be growing to be more and more like Jesus every day. Even though many of my plans are slipping through my fingers, being like Jesus is one plan that I must hold onto, one plan that I can’t bear to give up. Christlikeness is one plan that I need fight for. No matter the cost to my personal plans and not matter the cost to my comfort, pursuing Jesus must come first.

I just want to encourage all of you reading this to join me in refocusing on the goal. I don’t know how the last couple weeks have changed your plans; some of you may be busier than ever before while others of you have more free time. Some of you are finding in the midst of altered schedules and added worries that temptations to sin are even stronger than normal. Some of you may feel lost or overwhelmed.

No matter what’s going on in your life or what you’re especially struggling with, keep the main thing the main thing. Keep running this race with endurance. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Don’t forget the goal.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith . . .

Posted at: http://journeysofgrace.com/2020/03/20/dont-forget-the-goal/

A Word to Men Who Demean Their Wives

Interview with John Piper

Audio Transcript

This is an important and too-common theme in our inbox: men belittling women as inferior, perhaps in the name of complementarity even. I see this too often in the inbox and we haven’t covered it yet. I wish we didn’t have to address it, but we do.

“Dear Pastor John, my husband and I have been married for nearly thirty years. He’s grown convinced that there is something wrong with me. I’m a Christian and have been since I was 10 years old. He is also convinced that God sees me as subservient to him, and in every way. Tonight, I asked him if he believes women are subservient to men in creation, and he answered without a hesitation, ‘Yes.’ He has always treated me like he is superior to me in every way. The way he treats me is very hurtful, and I don’t think I can continue to go on with his angry, aggressive spirit. When he gets angry with me about anything, he locks me out of the bedroom and out of our house. I literally want to run away. I despise this life. Please help encourage wives who are treated as inferior!”

Perhaps it will be of some help — I hope so — if I explain from a biblical standpoint five sinful, damaging mistakes this man is making, and which he should be held accountable for. She doesn’t say if he claims to be a Christian or not. He certainly is not acting like one. But some man or men need to step into his life and call him to account for these five sins.

Self at the Center

Now, before I mention the five sinful and damaging mistakes he’s making, let me go behind them to something deeper, because there’s always something deeper than the principles from which we behave. He clearly has some principles from which he is behaving, and it is clear that behind them is something deeper; namely, he is in significant bondage to the root sin of selfishness and pride. He himself occupies such a central place in his own preferences that he cannot see or feel the beauty of getting outside himself and finding joy in living for the good and gladness of another person.

Now, there’s a fancy name for this today; it’s called narcissism. He is so fixated on himself, and his pleasures, and his privileges, and his rights, that counting another person more significant than himself is literally inconceivable. Philippians 2:3 says we are to “count others more significant than yourselves.” If you were to speak those words to him, they would be like a foreign language. They would not even connect. They would be like wind blowing in the curtains.

So, there’s the root. The biblical word is sin, not narcissism. That’s the new, fancy word. It may or may not be helpful. But the biblical words are solid and forever: sin and pride and self-exaltation. Until God breaks in and reveals to this man the deep ugliness of his soul, so that he weeps and weeps with conviction and contrition that are not intended to manipulate anything or anybody, these five sinful traits that I’m going to talk about probably won’t change. That’s the miracle that we have to pray toward. Every Christian has experienced this miracle. It’s called the new birth, and God can cause it in the worst of sinners. So, that’s the direction I pray for.

Here are my five sinful, damaging mistakes he’s making.

1. Women are not subservient to men.

He thinks there is, in creation — that is, the way the world is made — a built-in subservience for women. She says, “Tonight I asked him if he believes women are subservient to men in creation, and he answered without hesitation, ‘Yes.’”

Now, I am assuming from the word subservient and from the fruit of this man’s conviction that what he sees in creation is very different from what creation actually teaches. If we go to Genesis 2–3 and watch creation unfold sequentially after the foundational statement in Genesis 1:27, that men and women are created equally in God’s image, here is what we see. (And there are more. I’m just summing up a few.)

1. Man was created first and given the instructions for life in the garden, so that by God’s design, he has a kind of unique responsibility that will be unlike his wife’s responsibility.

2. God says in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” So, woman is created — unlike the animals — from Adam’s side: “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23). Man and woman are deeply alike, and yet so wonderfully different. Woman is called “a helper fit for him” — that is, suitable, completing, complementing. That is, by the way, where the word complementarian originated: from that word fit or suitable or complementary in Genesis 2.

3. The tempter came, and the man failed to take the responsibility God had given him. You can see that in Genesis 3:6: “The woman . . . took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” These are crucial words in verse 6: “. . . who was with her, and he ate.” In other words, he was there falling right into line with the devil’s assault on God’s wise and good order by being silent when the enemy was attacking his wife.

4. Sin ravages the beautiful relationship that God has created, this complementary relationship. Sin ravages that relationship, and you see it because the man blames the woman and says, “Look, if you’re going to punish somebody, punish her because you gave her to me and she tempted me” (see Genesis 3:12). In other words, God is really the problem here. It’s a devastating description of the ravages of the fall in human relationships and divine relationships.

So, what creation teaches is that man was designed to be thrilled by his partner-helper. Paul calls her man’s “glory” in 1 Corinthians 11:7. The man gladly bears a unique responsibility to take a special initiative to protect her. Who was superior to whom and on what counts was irrelevant for the central issue of love and protection. They were in God’s image and perfectly suited to each other’s fruitfulness and joy. They were naked and not ashamed. They did not shame each other. The fact that they were profoundly the same and wonderfully different in God’s design caused no shame. So, this husband that we were just being asked about has deeply misread creation. That’s sinful mistake number one.

2. Differences do not downgrade value.

His second sinful mistake is to infer from creation a built-in superior-inferior relationship. She says, “He has always treated me like he is superior to me in every way.” He is saying that men are superior; women are inferior. And she says this is “in every way.” There are two kinds of mistakes here, and they’re both serious.

One is to fail to distinguish whether the words superior and inferior refer to greater or lesser value. He doesn’t even address that. Does he even have such a thing in mind?

And the other is to fail to distinguish capacities and competencies in which women are, in general, superior to men, and competencies and capacities in which men are, in general, superior to women. And those differences do not imply greater or lesser value in personhood — who you are in God’s image. So, this husband is sinfully inferring an undifferentiated superiority for men — for himself in particular — that does not exist.

3. The Bible calls husbands to honor their wives, not demean them.

The third sinful mistake he makes is by inferring from his superior-inferior paradigm for men and women that he may therefore rightly treat his wife in demeaning ways. So, he moves from misreading creation to misconceiving the meaning of superiority and inferiority to justifying demeaning behavior. This is evil at several levels. I’ll just mention one.

In 1 Peter 3:7, Peter says, “Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way [literally: according to knowledge], showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life.”

And here’s the point this man is totally missing: even when one focuses on an area where women are weaker, the biblical, Christian response of a husband is not demeaning, but honoring. There’s the catch. This is a deep, profound, serious thing he’s blind to. In the way 1 Peter 3:7 is structured, you have the central term, “showing honor,” and on one side of it is “woman as the weaker vessel,” and on the other side is woman as “heirs with you of the grace of life.” Which means that this man is utterly oblivious to this: Whether you focus on any particular weakness or on the fact that both men and women are destined for glory, the call is the same: honor, honor, honor — not shame, shame, shame. The call is to honor, not demean, and he can’t see it.

4. Anger and aggression contradict God’s design.

His fourth sinful mistake is that he lives now with anger and aggressiveness. This is his prison cell. Given what he sees and feels, anger is inevitable. He’s living outside of God’s good design, and the inevitable dissonance causes continual aggravation.

James says something that applies to everyone, including this husband: “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19–20). Oh, my goodness — what an important text for marriage.

5. God will not tolerate bullies.

The result of living in the bondage of sin and delusion is acting like a jailer. Let me just make sure you heard the paradox there: the result of being in bondage to sin makes him act like a jailer, to hide the fact that he’s in jail. He has become a childish bully, locking her out of the bedroom and the house.

This is pathetic. It’s like a child throwing a tantrum, only he’s bigger now, so instead of running into his bedroom and slamming the door against his parents, he can run in and lock her out.

Seek Help

Now, she didn’t ask me for any counsel; she just wanted me to say something that might be helpful in general when women are dealing with a man like this. But let me go ahead and say what I think. I’m assuming there hasn’t been physical abuse. She didn’t say that. And the reason I’m telling you that is because what I’m about to say would be different if there were. In other words, if he is brutalizing her, then she is, I think, obliged — rightly and legally — to go to the police and to the ways that the arm of our government has set for helping women or men deal with that kind of brutality.

But short of that, she should be stepping forward — and I do hope she’s in a church where this is possible. I hope she can go to trusted elders, tell them her situation, and ask for them to intervene. I think it’s part of the elders’ job at a church to step into the lives of the sheep — men and women — and to be a part of their protective shield, and to give them guidance and wisdom for how to move forward.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/a-word-to-men-who-demean-their-wives?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=bbff06bb-5972-43d0-be31-f8c126433a6f&utm_content=apj&utm_campaign=new+teaching&fbclid=IwAR2lXFvDkfWOTmN_ofxQeoWwStyqgvtyh-8deZ7JFC9ZERwxkvj-5jYwZKA

Seeing the People in Front of You

Darby Strickland

As I read the gospels, I am struck by how attuned Jesus is to the people around him. Many encounters start with the simple introduction of who he sees.

• Jesus sees Andrew and Peter following him, and he engages their inquiring hearts (John 1:38).

• Jesus sees Nathanael and encourages his devout worship (John 1:47-50).

• Jesus sees the paralyzed man and heals him (John 5:6–10).

• Jesus sees the hungry crowd and feeds them (John 6:5–11).

• Jesus sees the grief of Mary and Martha and weeps with them (John 11:33).

As Jesus looks around, his eyes are active and engaged. He notices people. And he looks long enough to see people’s physical and spiritual needs. But what he sees is just the start of the story; he then moves in and is present with them.

My question is: Is this true of me? There are many days when I am distracted and don’t notice the people around me. My eyes are open, but my brain is elsewhere. There are other days when I choose to look past the people around me and toward something I deem more essential or enchanting.

Jesus lived a life that was practiced at seeing. So much so, that even as he hung on the cross, experiencing intense and unrelenting pain, he saw his mother in distress and asked his friends to care for her (John 19:26). At that point, we would not expect him to be noticing others, but he did. As he struggled for breath, he would have been right to focus on the much more significant and critical task of securing our eternal union with God. But even at that moment, Jesus sees the people around him and cares for them.

I want to grow in this. I want to notice the precious people that the Lord has surrounded me with. But it is not easy to do. There are so many things that compete for my attention. There have been moments I have been too engrossed with a task, or something on my phone, to even look up! Yet, I am challenged by how the gospel writers bring us into Jesus’ line of sight, and how what Jesus sees directs his next steps. So I must ask myself, who is in my midst that I am not seeing? I continue to ask the Lord to give me his eyes to see.

And I assume I am not alone in this. Do you hide behind the shield of busyness, thinking that what you are engaged in at the moment is more important than those the Lord has placed in your path? I do. Seeing takes work. It means looking away from myself (and what I am doing) and entering into the world of another. And it takes practice. Here are a few questions to get you (and me) started:

• Are you, like me, failing to see?

• What captures your attention as you move through your day?

• What do you notice yourself looking at?

• Are you careful with what steals your attention?

• Do you see your affection growing for what you spend time seeing (both good and bad)?

It helps me to know that Jesus sees me even now. We are never alone as he invites us to see and bless the people he places in our midst. I want to grow in doing what Jesus himself did. Will you pray with me that we grow in seeing?

Posted at: https://www.ccef.org/seeing-the-people-in-front-of-you/?mc_cid=fd1450e036&mc_eid=90be5e29a6

YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD

Brianna Lambert 

My kids know our safety rules. We hold hands while walking, stay close to the shopping cart, and lock our doors when we leave the house.

They know them, but they don’t understand the real reasons we have them. Stories of sex slaves, mass shootings, and home invasions are ones they don’t hear. Not yet.

But I do.

I know a world awaits them in which men and women might use their power to assault them and take their innocence. A world where murders sometimes go unpunished and justice isn’t guaranteed. Where others rejoice and mock the death of infants, children are mutilated to the applause of adults, and leaders are clothed in hypocrisy.

I see this world now, and I’m tired. The stories seem relentless. Some days evil seems too strong.

Lord, where are you?

Buried in the Old Testament is the tiny little book of Habakkuk, which has more to say to us than we might expect. The book’s three short chapters speak of hardship, but they also tell of hope. Habakkuk was written during a time of great disobedience in Israel. King Jehoikim, who reigned in Judah, followed his disobedient fathers and “did evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 23:37). Destruction and violence prevailed among God’s people (Hab. 1:3), justice did not exist (Hab. 1:4), and the wicked ruled over the righteous.

The small book contains a conversation between God and the prophet. In this conversation, we see four distinct reminders for those who live in a world where evil reigns.

REMEMBER TO PRAY

One of the first reminders from the prophet Habakkuk is the reminder to pray. Sometimes we find ourselves believing we shouldn’t question God. Perhaps our doubts or our grievous laments will show a lack of faith. We might strive hard to keep it together.

Yet Habakkuk opens with a phrase resembling a complaint to God. A worn-out man pleads with the Lord and asks, “Why do you idly look at wrong?” (Hab. 1:3). Even after receiving God’s answer, Habakkuk again cries, “Why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?” (Hab. 1:13).

While it’s absurd to complain in arrogance to the Lord, cries of lament and sorrow are justified even for the righteous. We see proof of these grief-filled prayers throughout the Bible. Look to the psalmists, like David, Job, and Jeremiah. When Job wrestled with questions of God’s sovereignty, he didn’t wrestle out of unbelief but because he did believe in the God of his Fathers. He knew who God was and what he was capable of, so in faith, he cried out.

When the weight of evil presses in on us, we cannot be afraid to speak to our Father. Especially when we don’t understand what he is doing. He won’t shrink back, and his Spirit will not be defeated by sincere laments.

Talk to him, plead with him, mourn before him. Let’s join David as he proclaimed, “In my distress I called upon the Lord,” for when we do, our cry will always reach his ears (Ps. 18:6).

REMEMBER GOD IS WORKING

We find in God’s response to Habakkuk another truth to remember: God is already working. In verse 5, God tells the prophet, “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.”

We can get so discouraged by the evil around us. We dwell on the hypocrisy, the greed, the sin, and forget to turn our eyes to the ways God is redeeming and making creation new. But he is working. Despite the sorrows we see, he is sanctifying and working his redemption in churches across the globe—in communities, in families, and in the hearts of individuals. In his second coming, Christ will make all things new. But the first time Jesus came, John the Baptist proclaimed that the kingdom was already at hand (Matt. 4:17). This kingdom is going forth in our churches right now, and his church will not be struck down (Matt. 16:18).

This thought offers much encouragement, but it also comes with a warning. The work God is speaking of in Habakkuk is not of revival or blessings for Israel. He speaks of raising up Babylon to completely ransack the Israelites in judgment. We must be sure to remember God is working throughout his kingdom and his people, yet sometimes the immediate means he chooses to work through may not be what we expect or hope for (Isa. 55:8–9).

REMEMBER WHO GOD IS

Habakkuk has now heard that God plans to bring judgment on Israel by giving even more power to a vile and evil nation, the Chaldeans (Babylon). Yet God reminds him that all evil will soon be punished. Following this promise, Habakkuk offers a final prayer in which he remembers who God is:

O Lord, I have heard the report of you,
    and your work, O Lord, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
    in the midst of the years make it known;
    in wrath remember mercy.
God came from Teman,
    and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His splendor covered the heavens,
    and the earth was full of his praise.
His brightness was like the light;
    rays flashed from his hand;
    and there he veiled his power.

. . . You went out for the salvation of your people,
    for the salvation of your anointed.
You crushed the head of the house of the wicked,
    laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah (Hab. 3:2–4, 13)

Habakkuk describes God’s character and his historic acts of redemption for the people of Israel. It’s here the prophet shifts his focus from anger and lament to praise and assurance.

We too need this reminder. Though our circumstances are uncertain, we know the character of our God is certain. His mercy, love, goodness, and yes, even his justice, are unchanging. And we rest in that steadfast character (Mal. 3:6).

REMEMBER TO WAIT FAITHFULLY

Finally, we through the pages of Habakkuk remember to wait for the promises that will be fulfilled. God reminds Habakkuk that punishment will eventually come for Babylon as well. “If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come” (Hab. 2:3). All the rebellious, whether in Israel or Babylon, will be dealt with. But “the righteous shall live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4).

When it comes down to it, we’re all waiting. The kingdom has come with Christ’s life and death, but we still wait for it to be fully realized. Our King will come back and put all his enemies under his feet (1 Cor. 15:25). But for now, we wait in a fallen world. We wait and must live through the consequences of others’ sin and our own. Yet we wait with hope, united with Christ, who will return to rule his kingdom, in fulfillment of his promise.

We live by faith for this fulfillment, and as we do, we speak, plead, and pray to our Lord. We allow God to use us in his kingdom now; in our families, our churches, and our communities. For as dark as it seems, we can rest knowing that the light will always overcome it (John 1:5). As we remember the great deeds of the Lord in our dark times, we can echo Habakkuk’s final words:

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food…
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord is my strength.
He makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places. (Hab. 3:17–19)

Brianna Lambert is a wife and mom to three, making their home in the cornfields of Indiana. She loves using writing to work out the truths God is teaching her each day. She is a staff writer with GCD and has contributed to various online publications, such as Morning by Morning and Fathom magazine. You can find more of her writing paired with her husband’s photography at lookingtotheharvest.com.

Posted at: https://gcdiscipleship.com/article-feed/2020/2/26/yet-i-will-rejoice-in-the-lord

FINDING YOUR WAY THROUGH GRIEF

Cynthia Mathai 

Disappointment, hurt, and confusion weren’t new for me. But in this season of grief, I had to face the fact that two people I had trusted and submitted to as authority figures had been living deceptively for years.

This reality created a cavern of pain so deep that at times I felt it might swallow me whole. In a new way, I found myself wondering how I would walk well through grief, acknowledging the hurt and pain, not stuffing my feelings or painting a thick coat of pretense with well-worn “Christianese” phrases.

Almost eighteen months ago, I experienced grief in this way, and it changed me. Now I’m quieter. I’m weaker in some ways and stronger in others. I’m more focused. I long for Christ’s return more acutely and feel more sober about the wiles of the enemy and the weakness of my human will.

I didn’t get everything right, but I did learn some lessons about navigating grief that might serve you in your journey.

SOME WAYS TO NAVIGATE GRIEF

Running. For several months, I went running after work on nearby mountain trails. Each stride was fueled by confusion, pain, deep anger, fear, and tiny slivers of hope that at last deception was uncovered and there was an opportunity for truth and redemption.

Reading. I kept my bible as close to my bed as possible so that as my eyes slowly opened to greet the day and grief sat heavy on my chest each morning, I could reach for God’s Word and ask him to speak to me. Over the course of my walk with Jesus, whenever I have felt the ache of relational brokenness, God has often reminded me that he alone remains unchanging and faithful. So, I reached often for the Psalms and for quite some time read them while feeling numb or crying.

“I kept my bible as close to my bed as possible so that as my eyes slowly opened to greet the day and grief sat heavy on my chest each morning, I could reach for God’s Word and ask him to speak to me.

Slowing. I asked God for wisdom, as James says believers are to do when facing trials on how to navigate the pain (Jas. 1: 5–8). I heard the Spirit say words I despised at first: “Slow down.” I knew instinctively what God meant by those words. My pace in life has always been a point of struggle for me. Fueled by both good desires and a false sense of identity, I have always done “extra.” It became clear to me that this would be a season of scaling back. I started setting aside blocks of times during my week to write, to do nothing, to sit in the proverbial ashes and pray, instead of filling my days and nights with activities to distract myself from the discomfort of betrayal. I hated doing this at first. But eighteen months later—still practicing some of those margin-setting activities—I see God’s profound goodness and infinite wisdom in slowing down (Nah. 1:7; Job 12:13).

Questioning. I spent a lot of time receiving counsel from wise friends, pastors, mentors, and my mom. I had questions like, How do you forgive without immediately trusting? How do you process without gossiping? How do you grasp the truth of God’s sovereignty and human will in the paradoxical way in which it presents in Scripture and is worked out in the world? How do you face the reality that you have been bamboozled and yet cannot punish every other person in your life for the sins of others? I brought all of these questions to those I’ve chosen to trust and who have invested in over the years. Some questions didn’t have clear-cut answers. Some were painful to swallow at the moment and required ongoing conversations.

Writing. I wrote and wrote and wrote some more. The pen is often the extension of my heart. When I don’t quite know how to articulate my feelings, I reach for a pen, and as pen touches paper, it’s as though the strings of my heart are loosened, and with great ferocity, my feelings come bursting forth. Writing gave me release.

Counseling. I went to counseling, or rather, I went back to counseling. Deception by a pastor and a friend can bring up a lot from past pain and create new fears about future relationships. I knew that on my own I didn’t have what it took to make heads or tails of the present circumstances. I needed help to face things head-on and to dig deeper into truth for the road ahead, all while rambling my way through the messiness of my thoughts and feelings.

THE BLESSINGS OF GRIEF

People say that they wouldn’t trade the pain for the gain of walking through tragedy or loss and coming out on the other side. I would say the same.

The moniker for my Savior, the “man of sorrows” (Isa. 53:3), has over time become one of the most comforting realities of being one of his disciples. The “man of sorrows” sits with me in the depth of my pain; the place where sobs communicate more clearly than words. He counsels me in the midst of grief of all forms, fills me with courage to keep taking one small step after another; he asks me to forgive those who have trespassed against me, and he empowers me to obey his commands because he has forgiven my trespasses against him (Matt. 6:12; 1 Jn. 5:2–3).

“I would not trade the assurance I have that I can ask God to help me with minuscule things and he cares, and he helps.

I would not trade how much better I know Jesus. I would not trade the friendships I gained because of weeping publicly and needing to be comforted by those in my church community. Throughout the process of reckoning with hard truths as a congregation, I continued to grapple what the apostle Paul meant when he stated that God will not be mocked, for we reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7–8).

I would not trade the times I found myself weeping at how much joy I had knowing God was caring for me in my grief. I would not trade the slowing down of my life in ways I could only have dreamt of before, and in so doing, learn that my value is not in the sum of my productivity. I would not trade the assurance I have that I can ask God to help me with minuscule things and he cares, and he helps.

THE WAY FORWARD

I still have nights when the losses feel acute. I weep at what has been lost. I weep at seeing people wrestle with trust as a result of the failure of those in spiritual authority. I get angry that anyone must suffer the consequences of another’s selfishness. Each of us is capable of great evil and only by God’s great mercy do we love and seek forgiveness when we have fallen short.

In all this grieving, the progress made along the way, and the new way of being, it has become clear that whether we verbalize it or not, all of us are crying out for salvation. We are all breathless for new patterns of thinking, of relating, of being; breathless for a new world order and a permanently good authority.

My way through the spikes of sorrow—which still arise—is knowing the living hope of Jesus. Where people have failed and will continue to fail, Jesus proves to be a constant. He is present with his people now as he will be for all eternity, and his character can be fully trusted. One day, in a world made new, with God’s kingdom fully consummated, there will be no more grief to navigate (Rev. 21:4).

Cynthia Mathai (M.A., Ministry & Leadership) is a disciple of Jesus who lives in Portland, Oregon. She is a Higher Educational professional who also teaches God’s Word at women’s retreats/ conferences and enjoys writing. She has served on staff with Verity Fellowship (now The Gospel Coalition’s Women’s Training Network). She worships with the saints at Trinity Church of Portland. Follow Cynthia on Twitter.

Posted at: https://gcdiscipleship.com/article-feed/2020/3/4/finding-your-way-through-grief

A Biblical Perspective on the Corona Virus

Posted on “Katie Counsels” website

Are you worried about the corona virus? Maybe you really don’t know what to think because there is so much information and it is frequently conflicting. As we look around our own community today, events, sports, and schools are slowly starting to cancel one by one. As I am writing this, I just found out the first case of the corona virus was reported where I live. As Christians, I want to encourage you that we can be confident in the face of this crisis when we choose to have a godly perspective. Our emotions and our security do not need to ebb and flow with each crashing wave of this pandemic. What are some Biblical concepts that will help us to have right thinking and goals during this time?

What

What is your foundation?

It is interesting to see how the media has handled this crisis. It leaves me feeling more confused. Should I panic? Should I hoard toilet paper? And also, why toilet paper? There is a lot of confusing and contradicting information. I appreciate some of the posts on social media that present “the facts”, but what if the facts change? What if you are someone who is more vulnerable to this virus? I recognize that the charts and statistics may be more discouraging than comforting to you.

As Christians, we have something even better: we have a firm foundation in Christ. If you find your security or your peace wavering with each new piece of information you receive, you may be looking for your security in the wrong place. If you are more vulnerable to this virus, or have a loved one who is, this could be a very real temptation for you right now. The Bible encourages us not to look around, but instead, to look up.

A verse to help with right thinking:

Psalm 20:7

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Turn it into a prayer:

 God, help me not to place my trust and my security in the fluctuating information, or in the government, or in my own health at this time. Help me to rejoice in my salvation and put my trust in your goodness and your faithfulness. That alone is where I find my peace and my foundation. Amen.

When

Who knows if you were made for such a time as this?

Queen Esther was used by God to save an entire group of Jews living in the capital city of the ancient Persian Empire. If you are familiar with this story you know she was not born into royalty, but rather, went through a series of remarkable events to become the Queen. God providentially placed her in that time to redeem his people once again. Her uncle Mordecai said this to her: “And who knows whether you have not come to the  kingdom for such a time as this?”

Have you considered that you were placed at this time in history on purpose by God? This pandemic in our country right now is an opportunity for us to love on our community in a unique way. We won’t get this time back. What will we do with it?

A verse to help with right thinking:

 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Turn it into a prayer:

Lord, help me to consider carefully how I am walking through this time you have put me in. Help me to see each encounter as a providential meeting. Please show me what you would have me to do and say to encourage others towards you. Please help me to be open to the opportunities this virus will create to share your love and to share the Gospel. Amen.

Why

Christ is our example.

Jesus was moved with compassion as He looked around at the “virus” of sin that infected every human being. This virus is far worse and far more deadly than any pandemic the world has ever seen. He didn’t choose comfort and security. Instead he chose to enter into this dirty and sinful world to serve his enemies. He washed dirty feet, loved the unlovable, and surrendered to a brutal death on the cross.

We have to ask ourselves, what are we willing to do to serve others in light of this current crisis? Is our first reaction to be selfish or comfortable? Are we willing to share what we have if necessary? Are we willing to serve church members and families in our community that come down with this sickness? How can we seek to be more Christ like in response to the consequences of this virus?

A verse to help with right thinking:

Mark 8:34

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Turn it into a prayer:

Lord, I am asking for your help today to put my own desires and comfort aside. Please give me wisdom in serving and help me to know what I can do to serve others when it is needed. Thank you for being willing to die for this sinful world, show me how to be more like you, show me what it looks like to deny myself and take up my cross in this day. Amen.

Where

Where can we be a blessing?

As we begin to think through the fact that God has us here in this time and in this place for a reason, we can begin to form a plan of where we can minister to others. We can’t go all around the world to help out, but we can pray for other countries. We have missionaries that are in crisis areas right now and we can pray for the unique opportunities they are facing today. We can pray for the leaders of our communities and wisdom for them as they take action. We can support them by not complaining when things are being cancelled and shut down. These are hard decisions to make and it is a blessing to have leaders that seek to slow the spread of this virus for the love and care of the most vulnerable in our communities. We can consider and begin to pray that God will use us to further the Gospel and share the love of Christ in each sphere of our lives. Begin to consider and pray about what that might look like for you. Where will you be able to minister specifically?

A verse to help with right thinking:

Galatians 5:13-14

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Turn it into a prayer:

Lord God, thank you for being willing to serve the most weak and vulnerable on this earth. Please help me as I consider the different areas of my life and how I can best love and serve the people in those areas. I often am tempted to love myself alone and neglect my neighbor out of comfort or laziness. Burden my heart for my neighbor and give me the strength and desire to serve them today. Amen.

How

Looking up and out with the love of Christ.

In times of turmoil and panic it is tempting to look inward and worry. First, we can combat this by taking the focus off of ourselves and put it on God. Consider reading a book or focusing your devotions on the attributes of God at this time. He is faithful. He is good. He is in control. Meditating on his character will alleviate a great amount of stress and worry no matter what your greatest concern is at this time. Second we can combat this by looking outward at others. It will help us to put aside our own burdens if we “through love serve one another.” Taking our eyes off of ourselves and the storm around us will alleviate some of the stress. Most importantly, this will start us down a road of honoring God with right responses that are fueled by right thinking. This is important for the Christian because our goal in life is not to be comfortable and safe, or to avoid any problems in life, but to be well pleasing to God no matter what comes our way.

Posted at: https://www.katie-counsels.com/2020/03/12/a-biblical-perspective-on-the-corona-virus/

What Does It Mean to Worship God in Spirit and Truth?

BY SAM STORMS

Many Christian are familiar with the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4. But not everyone can explain what Jesus meant when he said the Father is seeking men and women who will worship him “in spirit and truth” (v. 23).

To say that we must worship God “in spirit” means, among other things, that it must originate from within, from the heart; it must be sincere, motivated by our love for God and gratitude for all he is and has done. Worship cannot be mechanical or formalistic. That does not necessarily rule out certain rituals or liturgy. But it does demand that all physical postures or symbolic actions must be infused with heartfelt commitment and faith and love and zeal.

But the word “spirit” here may also be a reference to the Holy Spirit—there’s disagreement among good Bible scholars. The apostle Paul said that Christians “worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3).

It’s the Holy Spirit who awakens in us an understanding of God’s beauty and splendor and power. It’s the Holy Spirit who stirs us to celebrate and rejoice and give thanks. It’s the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes to see and savor all that God is for us in Jesus. It’s the Holy Spirit who, I hope and pray, orchestrates our services and leads us in corporate praise of God.

Don’t Omit Truth

This worship, however, must also be “in truth.” This is easier for us to understand, for it obviously means that our worship must conform to the revelation of God in Scripture. It must be informed by who God is and what he is like.

Our worship must be rooted in and tethered to the realities of biblical revelation. God forbid that we should ever sing heresy. Worship is not meant to be formed by what feels good, but by the light of what’s true.

Genuine, Christ-exalting worship must never be mindless or based in ignorance. It must be doctrinally grounded and focused on the truth of all we know of our great Triune God. To worship inconsistently with what is revealed to us in Scripture ultimately degenerates into idolatry.

Both/And

Some prefer to worship only “in S/spirit” but couldn’t care less about truth. In fact, they think focusing on truth has the potential to quench the Spirit. The standard by which they judge the success of worship is the thrills and chills they experience.

Now, make no mistake, worship that doesn’t engage and inflame your emotions and affections is worthless. Jesus himself criticized the worship of the religious leaders in his day by saying that whereas they honor God “with their lips,” their “heart is far from” him (Matt. 15:7–9). True worship must engage the heart, the affections, the totality of our being. But any affection or feeling or emotion stirred up by error or false doctrine is worthless.

Any affection or feeling or emotion stirred up by error or false doctrine is worthless.

Others prefer to worship only “in truth” and are actually offended when they or others feel anything or experience heightened emotions. Not long ago I heard one evangelical pastor say, “I often wish that we wouldn’t sing or have music, but that I could simply see and say the words or the lyrics that express biblical truth. I don’t like being distracted by the emotions that rise up in me when we sing to musical accompaniment.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. By all means, let us sing only what is true. But to do so without affection and feeling and heartfelt emotion is unthinkable. Perhaps you’ve seen this statement by John Piper, one worth seeing again:

Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy and a church full . . . of artificial admirers. . . . On the other hand, emotion without truth produces empty frenzy and cultivates shallow people who refuse the disciple of rigorous thought. But true worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine. Strong affections for God rooted in truth are the bone and marrow of biblical worship.

Heat and Light

Many would insist this is simply impossible. The human soul, they say, can’t simultaneously hold such seemingly conflicting realities. You’ll eventually default to one side or the other.

Some insist you can’t focus on the truths of God’s Word without turning into an hyper-intellectual, arrogant elitist, while others argue you can’t cultivate heartwarming, emotionally uplifting celebrations without deviating from Scripture and succumbing to unbridled fanaticism.

I beg to differ.

Better still, Jesus begs to differ. The Bible itself begs to differ. God forbid that we should ever find ourselves individually or as a church failing to worship God in both S/spirit and truth. Genuine, Christ-exalting worship, after all, is the fruit of both heat and light. The light of truth shines into our minds and instructs us about who God is. Such light in turn ignites the fire of passion and affection and the heat of joy, love, gratitude, and deep soul-satisfaction.

Some will inevitably conclude that there’s too much emotion at Bridgeway, where I serve as pastor, while others insist there’s too much doctrine. Some will say we’re too experiential in our worship, while others contend we’re too theological. Personally, I don’t think you can be too much of either, so long as both are embraced and God is honored.

None of this means you have to worship the way other people at your church do. If the truth of God’s Word moves you to lift your hands, dance, or shout aloud, God bless you. If the truth of God’s Word leads you into solemn reverence, as you remain seated and immovable, God bless you.

But let’s make certain that in either case we are worshiping in both S/spirit and truth. For it is just such people the Father is seeking.

Sam Storms (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary; PhD, The University of Texas) is lead pastor for preaching and vision at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, founder of Enjoying God Ministries, and a Council member of The Gospel Coalition. He has authored numerous books, including Practicing the Power. He and his wife, Ann, have two children.

Posted at: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-does-it-mean-to-worship-god-in-spirit-and-truth/

The Opposite of Envy

Tim Challies

A thought struck me the other day: As far as I know, the English language has no word that expresses the opposite of envy. There may be phrases or sentences that can begin to convey it, but we have no single word we can use to express the virtue that lies opposite that ugly vice. We can wish and pray that we would be less envious, but as we put off that sin, what’s the righteous behavior we ought to be putting on in its place?

Envy is a strange sin, in that it is a personal and often very visceral response to the success and failure of other people. It is a sin that involves comparing ourselves to others and forming our identity around that comparison. Just as we can be affected by our own success and failure, envy affects us through the success and failure of others. Envy is responding to the success of other people with resentment toward them and despair within ourselves, longing that their success was our own. Or, envy is responding to the failure of other people with joy, gleeful that their failure is not our own. At its fullest bloom, envy is not just wanting the success of another person for ourselves, but also wanting that person not to have it; it is not just wanting to avoid personal catastrophe, but wishing catastrophe upon someone else. It is a sin that combines jealousy, hatred, and theft into an ugly, chaotic whole.

Sir John Gielgud summarized envy well in these despairing words: “When Sir Laurence Olivier played Hamlet in 1948, and the critics raved, I wept.” The success of another person made him feel small. Had the critics panned Olivier, Gielgud would have felt big, so that the failure of another person would have been his triumph. And here we see another ugly element of envy: It tends to alienate us from people who are much like us, people who ought to be our allies. A musician rarely envies an author and a pastor rarely envies a historian. Instead, we envy people who have similar interests, similar gifts, similar callings—the very people with whom we could and should co-labor. But envy drives us apart. It makes potential allies into competitors.

Envy produces no good fruit. It is a sin that seems to offer happiness via comparison, but it is a lie. If we lose the comparison, we move toward despair and resentment. We hate our neighbor and eventually hate God for holding back what we consider an essential element of happiness. But if we win the comparison, we grow in pride, in our sense that we are a unique gift to the world. Here too, we hate our neighbor and eventually see God as a power who exists to give us the success we’re sure we are entitled to.

“The opposite of envy is rejoicing especially in the success of the people who are closest to us”

So what is the opposite of envy? I think the Bible speaks to it when it tells us to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). The opposite of envy is finding joy in the success of other people and feeling sorrow in their failure. The opposite of envy is rejoicing especially in the success of the people who are closest to us, who received accolades we would like for ourselves, who took home awards we believe we deserved, who garnered praise for accomplishments much like our own. The opposite of envy is feeling true sorrow at the failures of a person in the same field as us or of a person who may be considered a competitor. I’ve heard Sanskrit has a word—mudita—that refers to a joy that is pure and unadulterated by self-interest and delights in the good fortune of other people. That seems to capture it well.

We can have that joy, but only if we first find our ultimate joy in Christ. And our joy in Christ comes by understanding and acknowledging that our deepest identity is not found in success or failure, but in our union with him. We have to know that our standing before God does not depend upon our accomplishments. Neither someone else’s success nor our lack of success changes who we are in Christ. Neither some else’s failures nor our own has any bearing on who we are in him. It is only when we are secure before him that we can be secure before others. It is only when we are secure in him that we’ve secured the opposite of envy.

Posted at: https://www.challies.com/articles/the-opposite-of-envy/?fbclid=IwAR0f6JOS_vdIYyVHsjXH444fwLBwy94eaL6VeaiYd0cHXQB-z8AWs7Vm3xI