The Groaning that Defines Us
I hate suffering. I hate when things don't go my way. I hate that when things do go my way they won't last. I don't want to suffer. I don't fear dying; I fear suffering. Yet, how we suffer is what defines us. A Christ-follower must live the way He lived, care the way He cared, and ultimately, suffer the way He suffered. Christ didn't complain or whine.
He groaned.
The Jesus-follower must learn to groan. Paul gave the Corinthians a word picture of this reality: We live in tents, but our future on the New Earth is a house that will never be destroyed because God is its builder. Between a tattered tent and an indestructible mansion, our life goes on....and we groan waiting for our God-made house.
Groaning is difficult and unnatural. It's hard and we'd rather avoid it. It can't be put into a fun slogan. "Got Groaning?". "Just Groan It". "Groaning, it's what's for breakfast".
There are many sufferings we must groan. We groan the realities of global despair we cannot solve. Sudan, Iran, Cambodia, North Korea, China, Venezuela etc.... are the places. Genocide, sex slave trade, starvation, institutionalized abuse, abortion, oppressive governments, etc.... are the miseries. We must groan these as we become aware and pray for justice.
We groan national tragedies like Ft. Hood and pray for the families left permanently scarred.
We groan fallen "heroes" like Michael Jackson and Ted Kennedy, because of their loss and what could've been if Christ was their center.
We groan a nation that calls abortion "justice" and Christianity "oppression" as a million children die each year without seeing the light of day.
We groan family, friends and ourselves as disease, age, accidents, self-destructive behavior and economic downturns rob our joy and bring despair and decay.
We groan the consequences of our past choices.
We must even groan having our desires blocked. This might be the most difficult groaning because it happens so frequently, and we have lived a life of screaming and demanding fairness on our terms. This type of groaning does not fire back at a spouse who overcomplains, or a boss who overlooks, or a driver who edges over, or a sibling who oversteps, or a parent who overreminds. Instead, groaning rests on the One who overcomes and builds awesome houses for His followers.
November 15th, 2009 - 22:14
This is what I feel. The things/passions/addictions of life mask groanings for God and our need to be near God and his spirit and his warmth and his love. I have removed passions(idols) and the more I remove the more my groanings increase for God and his glory. The problem is that I sense/attach/feel close to God less than the masking agents that use to fullfill or block the groanings. So I actually groan in an immense amount now and it hurts and pains me immensely. Sometimes Iwill look skyward and wonder when he is going to take me home. I was pretty well masked up and somewhat content until coming to this church now I naked and seeking God on a level I never have and it is foreign and real, and I continue to groan for God.
November 15th, 2009 - 20:25
At first glance, God’s marketing program appears to have some flaws built in it: “Join us, and learn to grown and suffer!” Seems the health and wealth gospel, or the social gospel would attract a larger, and more eager following. Better, yet, how about the 72 virgins theology?
But or course, “Jesus Wins” again. How is it that Paul (Romans 5) and James (James 1) could say “rejoice in your sufferings,” and “consider it pure joy when you face trials?” Did they understand that the depth of our faith in Christ bears some proportion to our suffering with Him? In otherwords, is suffering a principle exercise for our faith — so that a strong faith becomes one that has been trained and exercised by suffering and trials?
This doesn’t sound like a religion where weak people need a crutch; but one where the humble are also fearless, the gentle are also strong, and repentant are also wise.
November 13th, 2009 - 20:24
I’m a dad who has many personal desires blocked amidst the demands of family life. Several times each day I face the fork in the road where I must choose between groaning or grumbling. In those moments, something from Francis Schaeffer is helpful for me. Schaeffer challenges us to ask this question when facing the broken moments of life: “Do I love God enough to be content?” Seeking contentedness in my relationship with Jesus – no matter my present circumstance – is a critical step that helps me chose groaning for God’s glory rather than grumbling in self-pity and anger.
November 12th, 2009 - 23:49
Groaning always reminds me of Augustine’s works such as:
“…under the weight of the same affliction, the wicked deny and blaspheme God, and the good pray to Him. The difference is not in what people suffer but in the way they suffer. The same shaking that makes fetid water stink makes perfume issue a more pleasant odor.” -Augustine, City of God
November 11th, 2009 - 01:21
I can relate. Groaning is unpleasant, hard and annoying. But when our focus turns to Christ the burden gets lighter, our heart becomes released from the shackles of sin and death and anchors to the HOPE. Ahhh there is peace.