Glory in Infirmities

For a mother, there is probably nothing worse than when someone hurts one of your children.  The natural reaction is to protect them and keep them from harm.  If by chance something does happen to hurt them, our "momma grizzly" instinct is to want to fight back.

As mothers who believe and trust in the Lord, however, this instinct of the flesh can be counter-intuitive to the working of the Lord in our lives and in the lives of our children.  The Apostle Paul told us:

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."  Romans 5: 3-5

When we see pain and suffering, difficulty or hardship come into the lives of our children (or our own lives for that matter), our first action should be to pray that the Lord would teach them and us all He has for us to learn of Him in the situation.  We should ask that His eternal purpose in Christ Jesus would be revealed in these circumstances and that His Son would be glorified.

After that, we can begin to ask or seek for the resolution of the difficulty or pain. But by desiring to remove every pain and hardship from their lives -- or ours -- we are actually seeking to remove that which often works the greatest knowledge of the Lord.  Doesn't it seem true that we come to know the Lord the most during the darkest and most difficult times in our lives?

Let us yearn to echo the words as Paul:

"And He said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."  2 Corinthians 12:9, 10