The green hillsides are dotted with trees and brush. Reeds filled with birds singing and flittering about line the waterways. Colorful flowers present themselves in manicured lawns along the streets. The ocean waves are heard as they beat upon the rocks and beaches, creating fine sand. A dog barks for reasons only know to it. Looking to the trees I try to find a bird rustling the branches. The breeze carries the fragrance of the flowers and the smell of the ocean. It is good to be back in South Africa.

Everywhere in this life there are sights, sounds, and smells. Some are more pleasant than others. As I described South Africa, it may have brought similar experiences to your mind. You remembered the flowers in your own garden or the fragrance of your roses. The dog barking may have reminded you of a neighbor’s pesky dog. Seeing the trees may remind you of a drive you took through the redwoods or some other forest highway.

We have opportunities to experience beautiful sights. We can listen to people putting sounds together creating beautiful music. We have fragrances that stimulate special memories.

Our fast paces lives sometimes cause us to miss the beauty. Take time to observe, listen to the sounds, and be aware of the smells. Using our senses will add to the memories of our lives. The Bible says to observe the ant. Jesus said to consider the lilies of the field. There are many verses that tell us to use our senses. We will learn from what we see, smell, and head. We need to use our eyes, ears, and noses for more than a place to put our glasses.

“Take time to smell the roses.”

 

“It is my duty as your husband.” If I said this to Jeneen when I gave her flowers, what kind of a response would I get? She would be hurt because she wants a deeper relationship. She desires that I love her and that my love moves me to bring her flowers. She wants me to be motivated by my deep affection for her. Do I have duties as a husband? Yes. There are expectations and responsibilities for me. But what is my motivation as I fulfill my responsibilities? Is it simply because of duty? No, both Jeneen and I want more from our relationship.

What is our motivation to the duties we have being Christians? Do we accomplish them because it is simply our duty? I can imagine a person reading their Bible because they are supposed to in order to be a good Christian. It is their duty. The same could be said for going to church. “I am here because I am supposed to be. It is my duty to attend and serve.” These things are true but there is much more in our walk with God. He wants more from our relationship.

Can you imagine us telling God that we are praying because it is our duty? Imagine His response to us when that is our motivation. Jesus wants more in our relationship with Him. He wants us to be motivated by love. That is why He said if we “love” Him, we should keep His commandments. There is more to our relationship than duty. We are settling for so little when God has so much.

Pardon me. I need to help Jeneen with a project. It is my duty, you know. But more than that, I love her and love working with her.

How many sermons have been written while mowing the lawn? When I was pastoring my first church, I would gladly mow the lawn. I enjoy making the property look nice. While sitting on the riding lawn mower, I had lots of time to think. During those times, I would meditate on some of the passages I was studying. That time became valuable to me. Things would come together during my thought. Yesterday I was doing some yard work at our home church. The time to meditate was enjoyable.

How many pastors have experienced the same thing? I have talked with several who said they enjoyed mowing the lawn. They have found it a good time to think through passages or a particular subject. It is a time when they can focus without interruption.

Yes, I believe some messages have come from mowing the lawn. Study of the Scriptures must happen before the meditation time. Without the input, there is nothing to meditate upon that would bring forth a sermon.

Do you enjoy mowing the lawn? If you are a pastor, how many times have messages come together while meditating when doing something like yard work? Is it the yard work or the meditation time which is important?

While you ponder these thoughts, I am going to mow the lawn and meditate.

“Why is this happening to me?” “What did I do to deserve this?” These are common questions. Even the disciples upon sawing the blind man, wanted to know the reason he was blind. Was it because of the parents’ sin or was it his sin? Jesus answered that it was neither. There was another purpose for the man’s suffering.

“The problem of reconciling human suffering with the existence of a God who loves, is only insoluble so long as we attach a trivial meaning to the word ‘love’, and look on things as if man were the center of them.”, wrote C. S. Lewis in “The Problem of Pain.” The questions we ask reveal the truth of this statement. “Why is this happening to ‘me’?” “What did ‘I’ do to deserve this?” To begin understanding the reason for pain and suffering, we must look beyond ourselves. There are many reasons for suffering. Here are a few.

1. Yes, we do suffer because of our sin. This is common to us and is why we naturally start questioning here. When we steal something and get caught, we suffer the consequences of our actions. We also suffer as a result of others’ sin. Someone may lie about us or cheat us in a business transaction. A drunk driver could drive into your lane and you suffer the pain and even the loss of life as a result. We do suffer because of sin. Jesus did too when He took our sin upon Himself. Sin hurts and destroys but Jesus brings the forgiveness of sin. Our sin and others’ sin should bring us to the Savior.

2. Another purpose God shows us for suffering is that we might have patience. The trying of our faith teaches patience and to trust the Lord. One purpose of pain could be to focus us on the Lord. We will learn more about Him and our relationship with Him as we go through trials. It will deepen our dependence. Reacting rightly to trials helps us experience a deeper intimacy with the Lord. It will strengthen our faith.

3. God gives comfort because He is the God of all comfort. Another reason we may be going through suffering is that we might experience the comfort that comes from God. Afterward we will be able to comfort others with the comfort God gives us. Knowing God’s comfort enables us to show more sympathy for others as they suffer. We can be a real encouragement to others.

4. Another purpose is that God may be glorified. Jesus answered the disciples about the blind man. He said that the man was born blind so God could be glorified. Sometimes our suffering is simply to bring glory to God. Our reaction and even how God works though it should glorify Him. It is hard to imagine this as being the only purpose but yes, it could be.

There are many reasons for suffering beyond those listed here. Whatever the reason, we must look to the Lord for His enabling grace and comfort. There is purpose. There is a reason. Keep going and trust the Lord. He is working in and through the trials of our lives. We will find the Lord to be our strength and refuge. May He be glorified even in our pain.

We don’t enjoy seeing anyone suffer but we are all touched by it. No one is excluded. Some know pain more than others but we all will hurt during our lifetime.

One day it will all be over. For the Christian, there is hope. The Lord will deal the final blow to death and suffering. Right now, God has another purpose. He is giving mankind opportunity to choose Him or to resist Him. It is a choice which a good God gives us. For those who know the Lord, we know that our bodies will deteriorate with age. Yet inwardly we can be strengthened day by day.

No, we do not like pain and suffering. It helps to know that one day it will be gone. Oh, what a day that will be. Meanwhile, the Lord will do His work in your life and in the lives of others. It may include pain and suffering but it is for a reason and only for a season. There are things we would not know about ourselves or God if we had no pain. We would not know comfort in our lives. We would not understand enabling grace. There are depths of intimacy with the Lord that would never be reached otherwise.

Recently I spoke of several things in this life that I do not like. Maybe I was complaining a bit but there are things I wish were different. How much pain do people have to go through in this life? I don’t enjoy pain or seeing people hurt. There have been events in my life which have caused me great pain. No one likes pain but, suffering is everywhere in this world. There is the expression, “no pain, no gain.” It is true in our walk with the Lord too.

The good thing is that one day there will be no more pain.  Our sufferings work for us an eternal weight of glory.

The two of us were riding horses back to our camp in the remote mountains of Wyoming. The last glimpses of the sun had disappeared leaving a glow on the low clouds. The horses were tired. We had been exploring creeks and ridges most of the day. We were about a mile from camp when I heard a scream. It sounded like a woman in great distress.

“What was that?” Every sense was immediately heightened. It was eerie. Another scream! Even the horses were nervous with their ears pointed forward. As we moved closer, the next scream sounded like it was from within our camp. “Is a woman in our camp? Has something terrible happened?” These questions were running through my mind. Whoever it was screaming, they were in fear and it was not good.

Darkness increased as we rode nearer camp. I was getting scared. I thoroughly expected to find people at our camp and someone would be dead or severely wounded. We turned the bend in the trail riding through the trees into camp. Nothing. Nobody around. Who was screaming and where were they? We had heard that a mountain lion can sometimes sound like a woman screaming. After checking things around camp, we came to the conclusion that must have been what we heard. It was the first time we had heard a mountain lion do that. It made for an interesting ride that evening.

Sometimes we have fear of things we cannot identify. Many times the fears are unfounded. I remember as a boy, taking the garbage out to the burn barrel in the dark. The barrel was away from the house on the side with no light. It was all I could do to walk out there, grope around, and start the trash on fire in the barrel, finally getting some light. I would then look around, not seeing too far with the light of the fire. I still had to go back to the house. Looking at the fire, my eyes had become accustom to the light. Then turning to back to the house, it was really dark. I had to leave the security of the firelight and get back around to the front of the house where there was light from the porch. It was a long ways or so it seemed in the dark.

I remember on one occasion, running so fast to the house that only the tips of my toes touched the ground. That fear of the dark sounds silly now. Just like the ride into camp hearing the screaming, fear produces interesting responses in us. What fears do you have? Have you ever been fearful only to find out later, there was no need to be? Fears are real and evoke real responses in us. The best fear we can have is of the Lord for that fear is the beginning of wisdom.