When Trials Come

8/13/2019 When Trials Come

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MASTERING YOUR CIRCUMSTANCESBEFORE THEY MASTER YOU

(Lesson 1)

PURPOSE: TO TEACH MY YOUTH HOW TO DEAL WITH THE TRIALS THEY

FACE.

OBJECTIVE: BY THE END OF THIS SERIES MY YOUTH SHOULD BE VIEWIN!THEIR TRIALS FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE AND REACTIN! IN ABIBLICAL WAY.

PERSONAL NOTE (Co"#$ %e "se$ &s '& o* +no$",+on es'e,+#- +n ,ones o* /+e*):

I didnt write these lessons from an ivory tower. I wrote them while caring for my dear 37-year-oldwife as she fought cancer. We had been on the mission field for a year when doctors found thecancer, forcing us to return to the States and fight cancer for the next four years. t the time, ourfour boys were !, ", and #-month-old twins. few months after com$leting this series, the %ord

too& her home. In most situations li&e this, grieving hearts scream 'Why()* With such a need formissionaries, why would +od call someone to dro$ everything and go, only to call him bac& afterone year( nd while many abusive $arents live long, healthy lives, why would e ta&e one whodaily showered her children with love. So I &now firsthand something about living with grief,sorrow, and unanswered uestions. I also &now firsthand about the very real comfort that esuscan bring in the midst of it all. So, these messages were written from one suffering heart to othersuffering hearts, letting you in on where I found the comfort and $eace to carry on.FOR THE TEACHER:

s always, ta&e the time to ma&e the message your own. When I teach this series, I illustrate manyof the $oints with my own life, rather than the lives of others. /efore you let my ideas influenceyou, 0ot down your own ideas on &ee$ing your 0oy during hard times. 1eflect dee$ly on what you

have $ersonally gone through. ow have these difficulties made you a better $erson, enhancedyour ministry, hel$ed you identify with others( What biblical $rinci$les ministered to you as youfaced these difficulties( What Scri$tures come to mind that hel$ you ma&e sense of it all( Some$eo$le become bitter through their trials. 2thers become better. What ma&es the difference(Who are some $eo$le you &now who demonstrate these $rinci$les(

INTRODUCTION

Is your ha$$iness totally ruled by your circumstances( ou &now, if your family is getting along,your friends all li&e you, and your grades are fantastic, youre on to$ of the world. /ut if the nextday you wa&e u$ to the sound of your $arents fighting, loo& in the mirror and find a huge $im$leon the middle of your forehead, go to school and your friends all laugh and call you 4yclo$s, then

your emotions go to the $its. 5ost live on this emotional roller coaster, unable to find 0oy or $eacewhen circumstances turn sour.

/ut in a world where most students cant handle hard times, those who find 0oy even when thingsgo wrong cant be ignored.

ILLUSTRATION: Steve, a tenth grader, went on a ski retreat, mainly because a girl he likedwas going. It was a horrible day for skiing. The ski report called it a hard, granular surface,which meant that most of the snow had melted during the warm days, froen back at night,

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leaving a slope of hard, lumpy ice. The horrible conditions, plus the fact that none of the peoplewere e!perienced skiers, made for a terribly frustrating day. "ore skiers were on their rearends than on their skis. #ut in the midst of the contorted bodies lying on the slope, Steveobserved a fellow named $on who seemed different. %lthough $on, too, spent most of the day onhis rear, he seemed to have a &oy and peace that set him apart, as if his &oy didn't come from hiscircumstances. That evening, $on spoke about (ohn )*:)*, telling how (esus came to give us an

abundant life. Steve knew that $on had something he was missing, and that night knelt by hisbed and surrendered his life to +hrist.

Would you li&e to have a life li&e 1ons, that ma&es $eo$le wonder, 'ow does he do it(,* whenthey see you handle adversity( Would you li&e to get off the emotional roller coaster and find a 0oythat will stic& with you, even during your dar&est days(

2ver the coming wee&s we will search +ods word for answers to 'ow o 5aster our4ircumstances, /efore hey 5aster ou.* nd we will illustrate +ods answers with the lives ofreal $eo$le, including a $rofessional athlete who lost his $itching arm to cancer, a brilliantastro$hysicist who co$es with a cri$$ling disease, an active teenager who became a uadri$legic,and some who survived itlers concentration cam$s.

s we begin, $ray silently that +od will s$ea& to you about how to handle the trials you listed.

PRAYER

/efore we start on our road to 0oy, let me clarify a cou$le of things. Im not tal&ing about8

H+$+n/ -o" 0"s %e0+n$ & *&e s2+#e .

I have great sorrow a! "#eas$g ag"$sh $ %& heart'( (Ro2. 3:145 ,. II Co.6:17)

his was no wim$ who wrote this. It was the a$ostle 9aul, a s$iritual ames /ond whos$o&e the truth boldly, whether he ris&ed beating, im$risonment or death. /ut when hethought of those of his race who re0ected 4hrist, it tore him u$ emotionally. nd he wasnt

afraid to ex$ress it. Its healthy to grieve at times in our life. Its also healthy to tell lovedones what you are feeling. hose who bottle u$ their emotions sometimes regret it later.

Ne8e *ee#+n/ $o9n .

()he *es"s saw her wee+$g, a! the *ews who ha! #o%e a-og w$th her a-sowee+$g, he was !ee+-& %ove! $ s+$r$t a! tro".-e!'(*es"s we+t'( (Jn. 11:;5 ,. L. 13:


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1emember, if esus we$t o$enly, then none of us should hesitate to ex$ress our sorrow,thin&ing it is uns$iritual, unmanly, or uncool. /ut its one thing to ex$ress emotions anduite another to be ruled by them.

So, when I tal& about mastering our circumstances, Im not tal&ing about hiding your hurts or

never feeling down. I amsaying that, li&e the $ostle 9aul, we can face $ersecution, $hysical $ain,betrayal, and even undeserved im$risonment with a dee$ $eace and 0oy that no one can ta&e away.

ow many of you would li&e that uality of life( %ets turn to +ods Word.

I. PREPARE YOURSELF FOR BATTLE

. Don> !e C&"/0 O** !"&$

A-- th$s I have to-! &o" so that &o" w$-- ot go astra&' The& w$-- +"t &o" o"t o/ thes&agog"e0 $ /a#t, a t$%e $s #o%$g whe a&oe who 1$--s &o" w$-- th$1 he $s o//er$g aserv$#e to Go!'(2*' 34536

I /a#t, ever&oe who wats to -$ve a go!-& -$/e $ Chr$st *es"s w$-- .e +erse#"te!'(2II T$%' 7538, #r' A#ts 395880 II Cor' 459:;0 I 53?:836

ILLUSTRATION: Dave Drave#1&, formerly a ma&or league pitcher with the Sanrancisco -iants, faced some intense challenges when doctors diagnosed cancer in hispitching arm. #ut he wasn't the only one who suffered during his surgeries and loss of anincredible career. is wife, (an, struggled not only with /ave's crisis, but the recentdeath of both of her parents. It seemed that her life was tumbling in.

#ut what made matters even worse was that her understanding of the +hristian life wasfalling apart. %s she put it, I was angry because I felt I had been lied to. The road to theabundant +hristian life had been pictured to me as a scenic &ourney, something like ayellow brick road leading to a wonderful wiard who would grant all my wishes. #utwhere had that road taken me0 It wasn't the 1merald +ity. %nd for a moment, shethought about turning back to her old life, away from +hrist. 2/ave and (an /ravecky,

3hen 4ou +an't +ome #ack, pp. 56,7*, 8ondervan, )669

/ut had(esusreally let her down( :id the#ibleever $romise that life for esus followerswould be all roses( =o. It was those who $ainted a false $icture of the 4hristian life, notesus, who let her down.

nd ans not alone. 5any of us became 4hristians because of some need in our life that+od graciously met. Wasnt it exciting to get that guilt off our shoulders, find $eace, or get

ints8 6> 1esist cramming toomuch material into one lesson.ou can easily get five or more

lessons out of this series. 5a&ethe lesson more interactive byhaving students read the main

$assage for each $oint and drawout each $rinci$le on their own.

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some other need met() /ut some 4hristians mista&enly too& it that from then on +od would0ust sort of bulldo;e all difficulties from their $ath.

Do -o" e8e &s ?"es+ons #+e

@I* + e#- '&-s o se8e Jes"s 0en 90- $on> I 0&8e &s 2&n- *+en$s &s

0e %&$ ,o9$ @I* C0+s+&n+- +s "e 0en 90- $+$ !o$ #e 2- '&ens /o 0o"/0 0&

n&s- $+8o,e soon &*e I %e,&2e & C0+s+&n

@I* !o$ +s /oo$ 0en 90- $+$ 2- ,#ose *+en$ 0&8e o $+e so -o"n/

If uestions li&e this bother you, you may have an emerald city $icture of the 4hristian life.nd 0ust li&e an, youre setting yourself u$ for a big shoc&.

o get a more balanced $icture of the 4hristian life, loo& at what 9eter wrote in I Pe. nd 9eter himself would soon die at the hand of=ero, crucified u$side down in 1ome. hats why 9eter warned these fol&s, Be-ove!, !oot .e s"r+r$se! at the /$er& or!ea- a%og &o"'(So where do $eo$le get the idea that the4hristian life in the !As should be easy(

5a&e sure you hear me. %iving for esus doesnt insulate you from hard times. %earn nowwhat an :ravec&y learned, and your faith wont fold when hard times hit.

A. PREVENT UNNECESSARY TROUBLES

Do ot .e !e#e$ve!5 Go! #aot .e %o#1e!' A %a rea+s what he sows'(2Ga-' 45@0 I T+2. 6:6115 ,. Po8. 1:1;5 N"2. 1


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lifestyle, its because he &nows its self-destructive. e wants you to avoidmuch of the heartache that others are bringing u$on themselves.

nd the good news is that no matter how far youve traveled down a self-destructive $ath, +od still loves you and wants you bac&. /efore the a$ostle9aul was a 4hristian, he dragged 4hristians off to 0ail and oversaw $utting to

death a godly saint named Ste$hen. /ut +od still loved him, washed himclean, and gave him a fresh start. nd e can do the same thing for you.

CONCLUSION

Some of you have bought the lie that +od is an almighty $arty $oo$er in thes&y, who constantly loo&s around for someone having a good time so that ecan say '=ow you sto$ that and get bac& to wor&.* here isa force in theworld thats out to destroy you, but its not +od. s esus 4hrist imselfsaid,

The th$e/ #o%es o-& to stea- a! 1$-- a! !estro&0 I have #o%e that the&%a& have -$/e, a! have $t to the /"--'(@n. 6A86A>

=ot a life without difficulties or even tragedy, but a life that can be lived to thefull in the midst of it all. :o you want that &ind of life( It starts with gettinghonest with +od and telling im that youve blown your life and des$eratelyneed is forgiveness and a new start.

(S0&e 0e /os'e# &n$ /+8e &n o''o"n+- *o s+#en '&-e.)

B


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(Lesson 4)

INTRODUCTION

%ast wee& we saw that +od is not an almighty $arty $oo$er in the s&y whocontinually loo&s around for someone having a good time so that e can say,'4ut that out and get bac& to wor&.* Its esus imself who said, I have#o%e that the& %a& have -$/e, a! have $t to the /"--'(@n. 6A86A> /ut forthe dee$ thin&ers among us, this $resents a big $roblem. Some of you, whenyou are alone in your room late at night, thin& things li&e this8

If -od loves me, then why does e let such awful things happen to me03hy did my parents divorce and my friend die0 3hy is my dating lifenone!istent0 Is -od &udging me for something I did wrong0 %nd by the way,

if -od's so big and powerful, then why would he allow all this misery in isworld0

=ow let me warn you8 these are heavy uestions. nd for tonights lesson andnext wee&s, Im challenging you to thin&. ou see, some s&e$tics thin& that4hristians have two brains8 one is lost and the other is out loo&ing for it. /ut+od never as&ed us to hand in our brains when we come to im. /ecause ofthe uestions were as&ing, some of your classmates either hate +od or denyis existence. 2ver the next cou$le of wee&s, were going to try to get someanswers.

Le>s P&- *o 9+s$o2

Some $eo$le dont li&e +od because they see every trial as comingdirectly from is hand. 5aybe their $arents are strict, unloving $arentswho 0ust $unish all the time, and thats the way they see +od. =owonder they dont li&e im) So whatever you do, C

B. DON>T MISJUD!E THE SOURCE OF YOURTROUBLES

1. B- A#9&-s B#&2+n/ Yo"se#* (Jn. 3:1;)

ILLUSTRATION: 3hen baseball pitcher Dave Drave#1& camedown with cancer, he received all kinds of advice from people, muchof it contradicting each other. Bne person told him that he neededto repent of his sin. %nother assured him he simply lacked faith. I/&o" were Dave, how wo"-! &o" have res+o!e! 2Try to get somediscussion.

%oo& at n. !86-B.

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As he wet a-og, he saw a %a .-$! /ro% .$rth' H$s !$s#$+-esas1e! h$%, Ra..$, who s$e!, th$s %a or h$s +arets, that hewas .or .-$!Ne$ther th$s %a or h$s +arets s$e!,( sa$! *es"s'(

esus disci$les viewed suffering much li&e :aves advisors. hey

saw a man born blind and assumed he was blind because of his ownsins or his $arents sins. /ut esus said that in this case it was neither.It wasnt this guys fault that he was born blind. nd a$$arently, itwasnt his lac& of faith that &e$t him from being healed sooner in life.

2ften, when tragedies stri&e, $eo$le as&, 'What did I do to deservethat(* We as&ed that uestion under '/*, but often you may come u$with a blan&. ou see, not all suffering comes because of $ersonalsin. If it did, then tell me why so many godly $eo$le have suffered sointensely. @hin&8 esus DI 9eter


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+od tells $eo$le to love their s$ouses and their children, indicating is $erfect will,but they often rebel and do the o$$osite. So although some $eo$le try to than& +odfor every event that comes into their lives, it would seem ina$$ro$riate to than& +odfor the abuse of a wife by a drun&en husband, when we &now the drun&enness was not+ods $erfect will.

When the /ible says that every good and $erfect gift comes from +od @ms. 686",67>,the im$lication is that not everything that comes our way is good and $erfect. So dontbe deceived into thin&ing that +od sends everything that comes our way. /utalthough the direct cause is often evil, we canthan& +od that e allowed it for somegood reason.

B"t thats "st the +ro.-e%( some ob0ect. @S$#e Go! #o"-! have sto++e! thes"//er$g, $st He "-t$%ate-& res+os$.-e( o ma&e this $roblem more $ersonal,lets reflect on a s&it.

Setting: %nnie and >hil are hanging out after school, waiting for the bus.>hil: ey %nnie, long time no see.

%nnie: 4ea, how have you been doing >hil0>hil: BC, but we sure miss you at youth group. 3hy haven't you been coming aroundlately0

%nnie: I've made a lot of flimsy e!cuses to people, but we've always been pretty openwith each other, right >hil0

>hil: Sure.%nnie: So here's the real problem. %bout a year ago my mom came home from a

doctor's appointment, and I could tell she was all torn up. or the first few weeks, she wouldn'tlevel with me, but finally she told me that she had a terminal case of cancer. %t first I totally lostit, but soon I turned to -od. #ut no matter how much I prayed, the cancer kept winning thebattle. %s you know, she passed away three months ago.

or a few weeks, I kept attending the youth group, but my heart &ust wasn't in it.I know it sounds awful, but every time we sang a praise song, I thought, If -od really loved me,

then why would he take my mom0 (ust think about it: ugh efner publishes >layboy"againe, makes millions, and lives rich and well into his 5*'s, continuing his promotion ofse!ual immorality. #ut my mom was a decent person who gave her life to -od and her family.3hy did e have to take her0 I &ust can't believe that a -od of love would give my momcancer.

ere are four truths, which, if you can gras$ them, will $rotect you from s$irituallytubing out when tragedy stri&es8

&. !o$ +s !oo$

Some of you thin&, 'ea, yea, Ive heard it all my life. esus loves me, this I&nowC.* /ut if youve never thought dee$ly enough about this truth to securelyanchor yourself, you 0ust might end u$ drifting away li&e nnie. ere are somethings that convince me +od is good, even when my world is falling a$art8

D+s,"ss+on: :ivide into small grou$s. %et each $erson imagine that you are 9hil. What are somethings you would li&e to say nnie, to convince her of +ods love for her( @%et a re$resentative ofeach grou$ re$ort bac& to the main grou$.>

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1) Loo & Jes"s> L+*e (Ro2. ;:5 I Jn.


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+od claimsto be 0ust, loving, and worthy of our $raise. If e is not, then e is aliar. /ut all I learn of +od through esus tells me e is not a liar. e neverflinched on the truth, and stood against $ublic o$inion, even when e &new itwould cost im his life. So if +od sayse is love, I have good reason to trustim.

So +od has given nnie and all of us a massive amount of evidence to show thate loves us. If nnie re0ects +ods love because of 'the $roblem of suffering,*she now has 'the $roblem of good* to deal with8 If +od doesn'tlove me, then whydid e send is Son to die for me(*H

CONCLUSION

So what do you thin&( Is +od for you, or against you( Is esus on the side of love, or sim$ly adeceiver( hese are $robably the most im$ortant uestions you could ever answer. Ive given you alot to thin& about tonight. nd dont be sur$rised if it ta&es some days and wee&s to thin& throughwhat were discussed in light of the troubles you face. I 0ust want you &now that I sometimesstruggle with uestions too, and if you need someone to bounce your uestions off of, Im here.hats not to say that I have all the answers. /ut Im here for you, and sometimes 0ust sharingyour struggles with someone else is the first ste$ toward a solution.

Le>s P&-

Hnd if a youth contends that her $resent troubles ma&e her doubt that the events ofthe /ible ever too& $lace, you might need to refer to the material in my '4hristianity2n rial* Series, which covers evidence for the 4hristian faith. 2r, have her read a

boo& such as 5ore han a 4ar$enter @a uic& overview of 4hristian evidences> orvidence hat :emands Jerdict @a heavy duty boo& that contains hundreds of

$ages of evidences. 4urrently, osh 5c:owell is rewriting the latter boo&, u$dating

it for a new generation.>1egarding further reading on the issue of suffering , ma&e the boo&s Where Is +odWhen It urts, by 9hili$ ancey, When +od :oesnt 5a&e Sense, by ames :obson,and oni, the story of oni ari&sons life after an accident as a teen left her auadri$legic. here is also a 4hristian movie based on her life. I try to &ee$ boo&sand resources available for youth in some area of the church that youth freuent.

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MASTERING YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES

BEFORE THEY MASTER YOU(Lesson )

INTRODUCTION

%ast wee& we began tal&ing about some dee$ issues. nd I dont a$ologi;e for forcing us to thin&./ecause when you go through the fire in your life, you wa&e u$ to reali;e that some of lifesuestions are more im$ortant than 3hat should I wear to the prom0or 3hat kind of wheelsshould I put on my

9eo$les answers to the big uestions of life either ma&e or brea& them in the long run, and wecant afford to be air heads when the world is crying out for answers. 1emember, in the greatest

commandment, esus said that were not only to love +od with all of our heartsbut also with all ofour minds.

When I hear those 0o&es, I feel a little better about myself) t least Im not that bad off) /ut aswe will see this morning, the difference between us and the airheads in these 0o&es is nothing nearthe difference between +ods wisdom and our wisdom. When we understand this, it can hel$ withsome of our dee$est uestions.

Le>s '&-

%ast wee& we discussed +ods goodness in the light of the evil in is world. oday we want tota&e on a few other areas of is character that hard times sometimes ma&e us uestion.

&. !o$ +s S2&

An$ We>e D"2% In Co2'&+son

Now we see ."t a +oor re/-e#t$o as $ a %$rror0 the we sha--see /a#e to /a#e' Now I 1ow $ +art0 the I sha-- 1ow /"--&,eve as I a% /"--& 1ow'( @I 4or. 6386


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+od called ob a righteous man. So when tragedy struc& @and it struc& hard K hislivestoc&, servants and children were &illed suddenly> it was not because of his sin.In fact, +od never told ob why it all ha$$ened. In the end, +od sim$lyenlightened ob as to how far is intelligence and $ower outstri$$ed obs. hebottom line for ob from +od( - 'Im smarter than you can imagine. rust me. I&now what Im doing.* nd when ob $ersonally saw +od for who he was, hewas satisfied. @See ob 3#-? s ob $ut it,

M& ears ha! hear! o/ &o", ."t ow %& e&es have see &o"'( @ob ?

ILLUSTRATION5 #ut all too often, we're like a meddlesome half wit in amaster auto mechanic's shop, who keeps demanding that the mechanic e!plainhis every move: 3hy are you replacing that gasket0 Dow listen, you're going

to remember where to put that part when it comes time to put it back together,aren't you0 Do wonder they post a sign: Do customers beyond this point.

$$arently +od has thought it best to $ost a similar sign 0ust beyond some of ourtroubles that reads, '=o uestioners beyond this $oint. I &now what Im doing.rust me.*

B"t wh& wo"-! He 1ee+ a /"-- "!ersta!$g o/ the wh&s( /ro% "s hereare several $ossibilities.

F+s !o$ 0+/0#- 8"es "s &n$ *&+0

)e -$ve .& /a$th, ot .& s$ght'((II Co. ;:=5 ,. He%. 11:1).

ob 3#86-B K I li&e ndersonscomments8 ob 'does not say in the end,L=ow I see it all. e never sees it all.e sees +od @?. 9erha$s it is betterif +od never tells any of us the whole of

our life-story. Chis is more thanenough to answer his uestions, orrather it liberates him to live with 0oyeven when the uestions are notanswered.*

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If we could fully understand everything +od allowed us to go through, then therewould be no need for faith, would there( 2nly during the dar& times can we learnto wal& by faith, not by sight.

Se,on$ ,e&+n no9#e$/e 2+/0 %e oo 0e&8- *o "s.

So whe the& %et together, the& as1e! h$%, Lor!, are &o" at th$s t$%e go$gto restore the 1$g!o% to Israe- He sa$! to the%5 It $s ot /or &o" to 1owthe t$%es or !ates the Father has set .& h$s ow a"thor$t&'((A,s 1:6=5 ,.!en. 4:1=5 :1144).

We dont need to &now some things. 1emember, the worlds first nudist colonyhad no shame. dam and ve wal&ed around in $aradise, with everything theyneeded. What ruined this original $aradise( hey disobeyed by eating from thetree of the &nowledge of good and evil. +od &new that there were some things theywere better off not understanding. Why cant we see that discovering otherforbidden &nowledge might wrea& similar havoc in our lives(

ILLUSTRATION: %s a child, Corr$e te Boo%over heard a discussion aboutse!ual immorality, while travelling with her father in 1urope. +onfused, sheasked her father to e!plain what they were talking about. #ut her father realiedthat she was too young to understand. In +orrie's words, this is how he

responded,

ETo my surprise he said nothing. %t last he stood up, lifted his traveling casefrom the rack over our heads, and set it on the floor.

3ill you carry it off the train, +orrie0 he said.I stood up and tugged at it. It was crammed with watches and spare

parts he had purchased that morning.It's too heavy, I said.4es, he said. %nd it would be a pretty poor father who would ask

his little girl to carry such a load. It's the same way, +orrie, with knowledge.Some knowledge is too heavy for children. 3hen you are older and strongeryou can bear it. or now you must trust me to carry it for you.

%nd I was satisfied. "ore than satisfied F wonderfully at peace. Therewere answers to this and all my hard ?uestions F for now I was content to leavethem in my father's keeping. 2+orrie ten #oom with (ohn and 1liabethSherrill, The iding >lace, leming . $evell +o., )65), pp. GH,G5.

hin& about it. If +od were to ex$lain why he allows certain things to ha$$en, emight have to give you the big $icture by laying out a series of events that willha$$en to you over the next fifty years. /ut although this might ma&e you feel

ACTIVITY: TRUST WAL. :ivide into grou$s of two. ave enough blindfoldsfor half. 2ne is blindfolded while the other leads himGher around. hen, the situationis reversed. ou could do it without blindfolds by having one $erson &ee$ his eyesclosed, and as& afterwards, 'how many of you $ee&ed at least once( 'ow manywanted des$erately to $ea&(* hats how it is in our lives. +od is saying to wal& byfaith, not by sight. /ut were so des$erate to $ea&.

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better about your $resent situation, if you &new all those future events, you mightbegin to worry constantly about $re$aring for them today.

So, sometimes +od doesnt let us in on the answers because He 9&ns "s o #e&no "s. 2ther times, 0e no9#e$/e 2+/0 %e oo 2",0 *o "s o %e& . /utheres another reason8

T0+$ C&n We F&0o2 0e De'0s o* !o$

Since +od is so much greater than us, wouldnt it be unreasonable to ex$ect tounderstand all is ways(

ILLUSTRATION5 S#$et$sts often run into mysteries using the scientificmethod. or instance, some e!periments show us that light is waves. #ut othere!periments show us that light must be particles. It can't be both. %nd we can'tfully e!plain it. #ut you don't see scientists giving up on the scientific methodbecause of this apparent contradiction. They seem perfectly willing to acceptsome mystery in their field, especially in dealing with subatomic particles. So

why should we e!pect to understand everything about the ways of an infinite-od0

ILLUSTRATION5C'S' Lew$sonce said that he thought our first words, uponmaking it to heaven, would be Bf course. or then I will know fully, even asI am fully known. 2I +or. )9:)G 3e will look back and say, Dow it all makessince. I see e!actly why -od allowed me to grow up without a father, why somany people re&ected me in high school, why I had such a hard time with "ath.%nd if I hadn't had its, I would have never met and married that fantastic/ermatologist Thank you -od that things were not different

It should be enough that e told us that e loves us and gave us an incredibledemonstration of that love through is Son. I dont understand why e letscertain things ha$$en to is children. /ut I can live with it until I see im face toface in heaven. nd when I see im as e is, I doubt Ill need to as& im for anyex$lanations. Nor now, we need not ex$ect clear answers to things we may noteven be ca$able of understanding. Nor now, I can sim$ly trust in one Who has$roven imself trustworthy.

a. !o$ +s G"s

For we %"st a-- a++ear .e/ore the "!g%et seat o/ Chr$st, thatea#h oe %a& re#e$ve what $s !"e h$% /or the th$gs !oe wh$-e $the .o!&, whether goo! or .a!'( @II 4or. B86AF I 9et.


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=a;is at 3!. D&8+$ B&+n&$, famous missionary to the mericanIndians, died of / at

So how can we trust +ods 0ustice, when what we see of life seems sounfair(

ILLUSTRATION5 Imagine that you are watching a trial in a court oflaw. %fter a couple of witnesses testify for the prosecution, the &udgetires of the case and calls for a verdict from the &ury. That's unfaircries the attorney for the defense, 4ou haven't heard our witnesses%ll the evidence is not in 2+ould this be a skit0 It's like the oldhanging &uries, that send cold shivers up our backs. #ut isn't thate!actly what we do when we make a &udgment on -od's character beforeall the evidence is in0

So remember that the whole story hasnt been finished. eaven andeternity will be the great levelers of fairness. So dont reach a verdictbefore the 0udgment @I hes. 68B-6A>.

%. !o$ +s +n ,ono#

A! we 1ow that $ a-- th$gs Go! wor1s /or the goo! o/ those who -ove h$%,who have .ee #a--e! a##or!$g to h$s +"r+ose'( (Ro2. :45 H&%. :1=135 ,.De". :464=5 P0+# 1:14415 I T+2. 1:1=)

ILLUSTRATION: Imagine that you are *ose+h, sitting in an 1gyptian prison, reflecting onyour life. 4ou were taken from your family and sold into slavery by your cruel brothers, falselyaccused and &ailed in foreign country, then having the guy who was supposed to plea for yourrelease forget all about you. 4our brothers are scoundrels, but they're home with dad. "rs.>otifer is free to find a new boyfriend. %nd you're sitting in a &ail cell for things you never did.If all this happened to you, would you have become bitter in that cell, concluding that -od hadabandoned you0 #ut don't forget. The glorious end of (oseph's story comes later. Bnly inretrospect can we see -od's hand in it all.

ILLUSTRATION5 3e've all seen paintings that werecreated to be viewed from a distanceJ not up close. It'samaing how I can observe one of these paintings up close

all day and see what's apparently only random blotches ofcolor. #ut when I step back, I see a beautiful landscape.

I$e&: /ring a $icture that is tobe viewed at a distance. 2r, one

of those $ictures that has ahidden $icture that can only beseen after staring for a certainamount of time. 'ust becauseyou cant see the $icture doesntmean it doesnt exist.*

6B


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ere on earth were too close to the $icture to understand how all the colors fit together. Itsenough for me to &now that one day Ill ste$ bac& and see the whole $icture clearly @I 4or 6386.

A$e o.e#ts5 B"t $/ Go!s $ #otro-, the are we sa&$g that Go! gave %&%o% #a#er, a! H$s ha! $s s"ee$g ever& s"//er$g #h$-! It see%s so#r"e-'(

D+s,"ss+on: Ho9 9o"#$ -o" &ns9e A2->s ?"es+on

If nnie views +od as $ersonally giving her mom cancer, you can see how this belief could havecontributed to her bad feelings toward +od. /ut the /ible doesnt blame everything that ha$$ensdirectly on +od. hin& with me here.

No e8e-0+n/ 0& 0&''ens e*#e,s !o$>s 'e*e, 9+##.

In 5t. , but many do. e doesnt want $eo$le to sin, but they do. So if adrun& driver runs over a dear friend, dont blame +od for ma&ing that guydrun&. +od aches with us over the results of sin in our world.

A$e5 B"t wh& the $s there a& s"//er$g at a-- I %ea, $/ Hes a--+ower/"- a! a-- w$se, #o"-!t He have %a!e a wor-! that s"//er$gwo"-! have ever $/este!

!o$ 2"s #o9 s"**e+n/ *o 0+/0e '"'oses.

I believe that +od has a perfect will, in which everyone follows im, lovestheir neighbor, and ends u$ in heaven @II 9et. 38!>. /ut es also got apermissive will, in which e allows all &inds of tragedy and suffering.

So,( A$e as1s, It he-+s to 1ow that Go! %$ght ot have !$re#t-&+-a#e! the #a#er $ %& %o%s .o!&' B"t $t st$-- .others %e that Go! evea--owe! $t' )h& !$!t he sto+ $t, whe He #o"-! have(

ou may wish tohave a youth readeach of mys

res$onses.

D+s,"ss+on: his is the heart of the historic '$roblem of evil.* Why notdivide your youth into small grou$s and let them ta&e a stab at answeringthis uestion for nnie(

6"


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9ain and suffering are only evil if they dont result in a higher good. So theonly bad suffering is senseless suffering.

ILLUSTRATION5 Bften doctors must hurt us in order to help us. Smallchildren wonder, "om, why are you allowing this man to stick me with aneedle0 It hurts %nd the child will never understand, until he is old

enough to understand. Then it will all make sense. The hurt was worth allthe benefits. ;ntil he understands, he must trust that his parents have somegood reason for the pain. Dow the difference between the understanding ofa child and that of an adult doesn't even compare to the difference betweenthe understanding of -od and that of an adult. /oesn't it seem reasonablethat the answers lie somewhere in -od's infinite understanding0

'/ut,* nnie as&s, 'if +od is all-$owerful and all-wise, couldnt he figure outa way to bring about the same good end e is wor&ing toward without doing itthrough suffering(*

$$arently not. ou see, there are things +od cannot do. e cant ma&e aroc& thats too heavy for im to lift, create a married bachelor, a roundsuare, or a brilliant air head. hey are logical absurdities. =either can elie @eb. "86#F cr. II im.


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So if +od is good, infinitely smart, and in control, we can rest in the fact thatwhatever e allows into our life is for our ultimate good. =o matter how outof control thingsseemto us, es in control. nd one day, $robably not now,well loo& bac& and see that it all ma&es sense.

CONCLUSION

Some of us here have been $raying, staying u$ nights, and rac&ing our brains to find the answer toall the 'Why* uestions. If +od hasnt given you the answer, then maybe its time to let go andleave it in +ods hands. %i&e 4orrie ten /oom with her fathers heavy bag of watch $arts, $erha$syou need to reali;e that maybe the answers would be too heavy for you, and &nowing the answerswould ma&e you miserable for the rest of your life. nd li&e 4orrie, maybe it would be good to 0ustta&e those uestions youve been as&ing, and finally relax to reali;e that its enough to &now that aloving heavenly Nather sees the big $icture that you cant see.

P&-e. @llow them to symbolically $ut their uestions in their hands and lift them u$ to +od,giving them over to im and trusting im that all is in control.>


(Lesson


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Were in the middle of a series which I call, Master$g Yo"r C$r#"%sta#esBe/ore The&Master Yo"'( Weve said that although most $eo$le live a roller-coaster existence, where whenyour girlfriend li&es you, your $arents do what you want, and your classes are easy, youex$erience the high $art of the ride. /ut when your girlfriend dum$s you, your teachers $ile on thewor&, and your $arents are on your case, your exuberance for life gets disa$$ears as the coasterhits a low $oint. ow can we get off the roller coaster and find a 0oy, $eace and contentment thatwill last through the highs and the lows( hats what this series is all about.

So the first $art of our series dealt with $re$aration for lifes fires. =ow we begin $art two, where

the heat is on and weve got to res$ond. 5ost $eo$le wilt when the heat is on. ou &now them.ou see them every day at school. ou can see it on their faces8 bitter scowls that show their angerat +od and the world. 2thers close themselves off to themselves and sul&. Still others sin& intode$ression.

/ut occasionally you run across a $erson whos different. %i&e 1on, the $erson Steve met at thes&i retreat, who seemed to somehow live above his circumstances. Someone who, sure, criesduring grief and is not out of touch with his emotions, but somehow is not ruled by his emotions.hose who find the secret that 1on felt become contagious. 9eo$le des$erately want what theyvegot.

%ets as& +od for hel$as we try to learn a radical res$onse to lifes fires.

P&-

II. LEARN A RADICAL RESPONSE

Cos$!er $t +"re o&, %& .rothers, wheever &o" /a#e tr$a-s o/ %a& 1$!s, .e#a"se&o" 1ow that the test$g o/ &o"r /a$th !eve-o+s +ersevera#e'


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If you caught what ames was saying, you see how radical this res$onse it. When hard times hityou in the face, ames tell us, then 'consider it $ure 0oy.* Wow) /ut how can we get from beingwhiners and com$lainers to being a re0oicers( eres howC

A. As !o$ Fo He#'

Do ot .e a$o"s a.o"t a&th$g, ."t $ ever&th$g, .& +ra&er a!+et$t$o, w$th tha1sg$v$g, +reset &o"r re"ests to Go!' A! the +ea#e o/Go!, wh$#h tras#e!s a-- "!ersta!$g, w$-- g"ar! &o"r hearts a! &o"r%$!s $ Chr$st *es"s'((P0+#. sychologist*a%es Do.sohad a heart attackwhich left him alone in an eerie +ardiac +are ;nit. %t first, -od gave himwhat he describes as an ine!plicable peace, but at a later time, an!ietytook over. e prayed, Aord, you know where I am right now. %nd youknow that I am upset and very lonely. 3ould you send someone who canhelp me0 Soon, /r. (ack ayford, a pastor from the other side of Aos

%ngeles, walked in. 3hy did you come to see me today0 asked /obson.#ecause the Aord told me you were lonely, replied ayford. 2/obson, pp.,)9*,)9)

When I $ray about troubles, e will either ta&e them away, li&e themiraculous healings in the /ible, or give us the grace to handle it, li&e 9aulwith his thorn in the flesh. nd remember, e wor&s on is time frame, notours.

%ets go ahead and $ut this into action. hin& of the hard times that are tryingto get you down. =ow, lets bow our heads and silently as& +ods hel$ todeal with something thats too hard for us to handle on our own.

/. T&e T0e Lo&$ O**

Cast a-- &o"r a$et& o h$% .e#a"se he #ares /or &o"'(@I 9et. B87F


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If your $roblems are more than you can handle, then youre in a great$osition to let go and let +od ta&e over. fter all, without im, we can donothing @n. 6B8B>, but through im we can do all things @9hil. ?863>.

We dont &now whether +od will ta&e the trial away or give us the grace

to handle it. /ut either way, we can have is $eace. If youre facing theheat, you may find yourself daily ta&ing bac& the burden, and remindingyourself to cast it bac& on im.

C. Res+s B+eness

ou cant be both bitter and ha$$y. /itterness can eat you alive.

1. D+e,e$ & !o$ (Jn. 6:6=6)

ILLUSTRATION: 3hen *$% Cowa& saw his daughter gothrough the amputation of her leg, he struggled with anger. #ut

according to +onway, >robably the most important thing Ilearned in this entire process is this: I became deeply awarethat there were only two choices that I could make. Bne was tocontinue in my anger at -od and follow the path of despair Iwas on. The other choice was to let -od be -od, and somehowsay, KI don't know how all this fits together. I don't understandthe reasons for it. I'm not even going to ask for the e!planation.I've chosen to accept the fact that 4ou are -od and I'm theservant, instead of the other way around.' %nd there I left it.2/obson, p. 77

ou cant be a free agent here on earth. ou must serve

someone. If you turn on +od, you serve the devil @II 4or. ?8?>nd though $eo$le sometimes uestion +ods goodness becauseof certain things e allows, we dare not leave im and side withthe devil, whom we &now to be a liar and murderer from thebeginning. t some $oint we have to reali;e what the disci$lesreali;ed when many were turning away from following esus. eas&ed, Yo" !o ot wat to -eave too, !o &o"( 9eterres$onded, Lor!, to who% sha-- we go Yo" have the wor!so/ etera- -$/e'( 2*' 454@,4;6

:ont ma&e a 0udgment till all the evidence is in. 1emember, oneday youll be saying, '2f course.*

4. D+e,e$ & Peo'#e

To th$s &o" were #a--e!, .e#a"se Chr$st s"//ere! /or &o", -eav$g &o" aea%+-e, that &o" sho"-! /o--ow $ h$s ste+s' He #o%%$tte! o s$, a! o !e#e$twas /o"! $ h$s %o"th' )he the& h"r-e! the$r $s"-ts at h$%, he !$! otreta-$ate0 whe he s"//ere!, he %a!e o threats' Istea!, he etr"ste! h$%se-/ toh$% who "!ges "st-&'( (I Pe. 4:4145 ,. Ro2. 14:13)


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ILLUSTRATION: Corr$e te Boo%miraculously survived $avensbruck, one ofitler's death camps. %fter the war, she started a home in olland to helppeople recover from the trauma inflicted upon them by the Dais. 3hat shefound was that those who were willing to forgive their tormentors could go on torebuild their lives. #ut those who refused to forgive, hanging onto theirbitterness, remained emotionally crippled.

#ut at a speaking engagement in "unich, +orrie was challenged to apply herown teaching on a new level. %fter the service, her blood ran cold as sherecognied a man walking toward her. e was one of her former guards from$avensbrook F and not &ust any guard, but one of the cruelest guards.Suddenly, the horrid memories flooded her mind.

4ou mentioned $avensbruck in your talk, he said, I was a guard there.+orrie realied that he didn't remember her, only one of the thousands ofprisoners. L#ut since that time I have become a +hristian. I know that -od hasforgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear from yourlips as well. raulein, and he put out his hand, will you forgive me0

+orrie &ust stood there, as she put it, with a coldness clutching my heart. #utshe knew that forgiveness was an act of the will, not &ust of the heart. So shesilently called out for (esus' help, and prayed, I can lift my hand. I can do thatmuch. 4ou supply the feeling.

%nd so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out tome. %nd as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in myshoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our &oined hands. %nd then thishealing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bring tears to my eyes.

I forgive you, brother, I cried. 3ith all my heart.

or a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and theformer prisoner. I had never known -od's love so intensely, as I did then. #uteven so, I realied it was not my love. I had tried, and did not have the power.It was the power of the oly Spirit as recorded in $omans =:=, KEbecause thelove of -od is shed abroad in our hearts by the oly -host which is given untous. 2+orrie ten #oom, Tramp for the Aord 2Bld Tappan, D.(.: $evell, )65H,pp. =9@==.

With a grou$ this si;e, odds are that some of you are bitter at someone, maybe alot of $eo$le. ou thin& Sherri ruined your life because she stole your boyfriend./ut do you really thin& that +od is $acing the golden streets of heaven, re$eating,'2h no, I cant believe that Sherri did that) =ow how will I ever get thatboyfriend bac& to the right $artner()* :ont you see( If thats the $erson for you,then nothing in heaven or earth will ultimately &ee$ you a$art. If thats not the$erson for you, then +ods got something better for you. So dont sweat it. ndas& +od to hel$ you dro$ the bitterness.

%isten, mere mortals cant frustrate +ods $lan for your life. :ont act li&e theyhave that $ower.


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CONCLUSION

:o you struggle with 4orries feelings, &nowing you ought to forgive, but lac&ing

the $ower and the feeling( s& +od for hel$. s& im to give you the want to.ust ta&e the first ste$, and trust im to ta&e care of the rest.

In conclusion, I want to give you a moment to deal with +od on this issue that4orrie did. al& to him about those $eo$le you hate for what theyve done to do.It may be a $arent that deserted you or a friend that betrayed you. I &now, I &nowthat it hurts. nd I &now that they $robably dont deserve your forgiveness. /utif you dont deal with your bitterness, it will eat you alive.

So lets '&-. irstof all, if everything inside you is screaming at you to notforgive that $erson, as& +od for the power to forgive. dmit to im that youdont want to forgive. e &nows what you feel, so you might as well tal& to imabout it. ell im that you need is strength. @+ive some silent time.>

Second,0ust silently get the words out to im. ou may want tore$eat silently after me, a $hrase at a time. '+od, I than& youCthat you forgaveme when all I deserved was hellC. +ive me the strengthCto follow ourexam$leC.+od, I forgive him or herC. @+ive some silent time.> men.

=ow you will $robably find the bitterness crea$ing into your heart day after day./ut when you feel it boiling u$ inside, whether its at your loc&er at school or atthe su$$er table, immediately as& +od for strength, and silently re$eat yourattitude of forgiveness to im. If you do, +od can set you free.


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(Lesson ;)

INTRODUCTION

Weve been tal&ing about mastering your circumstances, before they master you. Wevesaid that most $eo$le live on an emotional roller coaster, where their $eace, 0oy andcontentment with life are de$endent on whether their circumstances are at a high or a low./ut theres a way off the emotional roller coaster. way to have a 0oy that lasts througheven the hardest times. 0oy that will ma&e your life contagious, so that others will wantwhat youve got.

/ut to have this 0oy, youve got to res$ond, not naturally, but radically. 2ften, you haveto do the very o$$osite of what feels right. :oes anyone remember some of the ste$s wetal&ed about last wee&( We tal&ed about as&ing +od for hel$, giving the load to im, and

fighting bitterness with forgiveness.

%ets $ray that +od will teach us more of the radical res$onse that only e can give ustoward lifes trials.

PRAY

A. Res+s En8-

urn to 9salm 73 where we find a guy with a $roblem the we all face atone time or another. es trying to follow +od and be a good boy, butwhen he loo&s around him, it seems li&e the wic&ed $eo$le are getting allthe brea&s and hes left with all the struggles. ver feel li&e this( Well,after having his $rivate envy $arty, he comes to his senses toward the endof his writing. See if you can figure out what $ulled him out of his envy.es tal&ing to +od.

@+o bac& to include vs. 67(>

Yet I a% a-wa&s w$th &o"0&o" ho-! %e .& %& r$ght ha!'

Yo" g"$!e %e w$th &o"r #o"se-,a! a/terwar! &o" w$-- ta1e %e $to g-or&'

)ho% have I $ heave ."t &o"

A! earth has oth$g I !es$re .es$!es &o"'M& /-esh a! %& heart %a& /a$-,

B"t Go! $s the stregth o/ %& heart a! %& +ort$o /orever'Those who are /ar /ro% &o" w$-- +er$sh0

Yo" !estro& a-- who are "/a$th/"- to &o"'B"t as /or %e, $t $s goo! to .e ear Go!'

I have %a!e the Sovere$g LORD %& re/"ge0I w$-- te-- o/ a-- &o"r !ee!s'( (Ps. =:44)


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ILLUSTRATION: George Maga1$s, who wastortured as a political prisoner, found help in pityinghis torturers instead of himself. %t this moment I amdeprived of the &oy of seeing children going to schoolor playing in the parks, wrote "angakis, 3hereasthey have to look their own children in the face.

2-eorge "angakis, Aetter in a #ottle, %tlantic"onthly,Bctober )65), p. G=9, cited by 4ancey, 3hereis -odE.

A. Don> T"s Yo" E2o+ons

Never w$-- I -eave &o"0Never w$-- I /orsa1e &o"'( (He%. 1:;)

ILLUSTRATION5 A-tho"gh Go! ever -eaves "s, %ost Chr$st$as

!ot see% to -$ve $ a #ostat awareess o/ Go!s +rese#e'S+"rgeo $s #os$!ere! .& %a& the greatest +rea#her who ever -$ve!,."t he o/te str"gg-e! w$th !e+ress$o' He sa$! that L"thers -$/e%$ght g$ve a tho"sa! $sta#es o/ the sa%e' C'S' Lew$s, a/ter H$sw$/es !eath, sa$! that whe he +ra&e!, $t see%e! -$1e A !oors-a%%e! $ &o"r /a#e, a! a so"! o/ .o-t$g a! !o".-e .o-t$g othe $s$!e' A/ter that, s$-e#e'( 2A Gr$e/ O.serve!, +' 96 Lew$s -ater/o"! that Go! was there a-- the t$%e' B"t o"r e%ot$os, +art$#"-ar-&!"r$g a #r$s$s, #a -ea! "s astra&' Dot tr"st the%'

B. !e A Bee Pes'e,+8e

ILLUSTRATION: There are two ways to view a h"ge wave. The sand castlebuilder looks upon it with anguish, realiing that his beautiful creation may bedestroyed in a brief moment. #ut a talented surfer frantically paddles toward thatsame wave, hoping to catch it for the ride of a lifetime. #ut it's e!actly the samewave, viewed from two different perspectives.

ow can we learn to surf lifes trials, rather than merely endure them( Weve got to

learn to loo& at the waves through the eyes of a surfer. ere are some hints8

6. Re+e -o" 0&8e # -o" nee$ *o -o" 'esen0&''+ness

For the LORD Go! $s a s" a! sh$e-!0the LORD .estows /avor a! hoor0

o goo! th$g !oes he w$thho-!

I$e&8 hin& of amovie where $eo$letrade $laces and learnwhat it is li&e to be inthe other $ersonsshoes. ither show a

cli$ or describe theoutcome.

!AME: 5a&e 5e Smile. veryone get a $artner, and without $hysically touching, try toget the $erson to smile before the timer goes off @about 3A seconds>. hen, well ta&e out allthe losers and let the winners try to get the other winners to smile. @ry to narrow down afew winners that no one can get to smile. +ive ha$$y face stic&ers as $ri;es to the winners.>


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/ro% those whose wa-1 $s .-a%e-ess'( @9s. #?866F 9hil. ?866-63>/or I have -eare! to .e #otet whateverthe #$r#"%sta#es'( @9hil. ?866>

ILLUSTRATION5ave you ever noticed how some dogs can live in a spacious,fenced in yard, but spend all their time at the gate, longing to get out0

ILLUSTRATION5% Socrates was once as&ed,'Who was the wealthiest(* eres$onded, using the same +ree&word, 'e that is content withleast, for contentment is natureswealth.* @%ightfoot>


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Tho"gh the /$g tree !oes ot ."! a! thereare o gra+es o the v$es,

tho"gh the o-$ve #ro+ /a$-s a! the /$e-!s +ro!"#e o /oo!,tho"gh there are o shee+ $ the +e a! o #att-e $ the sta--s,&et I w$-- reo$#e $ the LORD, I w$-- .e o&/"- $ Go! %& Sav$or'( 2Ha.' 753@:3?6

/ut most of us dont seem to have the 0oy of the 9olish believer or aba&&u&. Wedli&e to be able to find 0oy in the midst of our hard times, but $ractically s$ea&ing, howcan we find such contentment(

4. See -o" 'o%#e2s +n e#&+on o -o" %#ess+n/s.

Ma1e s"re that o.o!& +a&s .a#1 wrog /or wrog, ."t a-wa&s tr& to .e 1$!to ea#h other a! to ever&oe e-se' Be o&/"- a-wa&s0 +ra& #ot$"a--&0 g$ve tha1s$ a-- #$r#"%sta#es, /or th$s $s Go!s w$-- /or &o" $ Chr$st *es"s'( (I T0es. ;:1;1)

Some $eo$le are so negative that when they see a donut, all they notice is the hole.

ILLUSTRATION 2could be a skit: Imagine that Cenny 2use the name ofsomeone in your group wakes up to a day that seems like a dream come true.e wakes to the smell of mom cooking his favorite breakfast. %t school he

realies that he is about a week ahead in his homework. Incredibly, the lunchroom serves a choice of steak or lobster. e gorge himself with his lobster, plusa friend's left@over lobster. School dismisses early and as he waits for the bus,a friend passes him a note. It reads, I had a long talk with Aeah 2the mostincredible girl in your school. She's madly in love with you. -etting on thebus, he steps on a fresh piece of gum. In the light of all that's gone on today,would it bother him02Do way

H&%. :1=13 T0e ,one8 tthe beginning of the boo&,aba&&u& was miffed. Strife,

$erversion, destruction, in0usticeand violence were everywhere.@Sound familiar(> oud thin& that

a righteous +od would let therighteous $revail over the wic&ed,

but the wic&ed $revailed. etal&ed to +od about it, but his

$rayers seemed to go nowhere./ut finally +od let him in on the

big $icture. +od was raising u$/abylon to 0udge udah. nd inthe end, +od would save the day byrescuing is $eo$le. So eventhough his circumstances were stilldismal, e could re0oice in the%21:, &nowing that +od and isfaithful would eventually $revail.

Seeing the big $icture cured hisma0or case of the blahs.


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#ut let's imagine that day MG is very different. Cenny sleeps through his alarmand his mom yells, -rab a piece of cold bread on the way to school, yousluggard. In his first class his teacher reminds him of a long@term pro&ect thatis due tomorrow. e had totally forgotten. %s he walks into the lunch room, hesees a notice that reads, "any students are suffering from food poisoning. #utdon't panic. This only concerns the few students who chose lobster at

yesterday's lunch. is stomach begins to hurt. %s he double over and makeshis way to the clinic, his best friend comes up to him laughing. #y the way,he says, you didn't believe my little &oke about Aeah liking you, did you0Then, he steps on a fresh wad of chewing gum. Some of you, at this point,wouldthrow your shoe down the hall and curse the day they were born. 3hy thedifferent reaction from the chewing gum the day before0 The incident wase!actly the same. 2%nswer: the conte!t in which it was seen.

So our challenge is to become so aware of our blessings that our $roblems $ale incom$arison.

=ow many of our blessings are e2'o &n$ ,0&n/+n/. nd since every goodgift comes from above, we need to be than&ful for them. If your family life is inshambles, you tend to forget that you may be reasonably healthy, be good at acertain sub0ect at school, and have a friend.

We also have een &n$ "n,0&n/+n/blessings @II 4or. ?86#>. I thin& that some4hristians become so caught u$ in the wonder of these blessings that they are littleaffected by their situation here on earth. s the old hymn says,

T"r &o"r e&es "+o *es"s,Loo1 /"-- $ H$s wo!er/"- /a#e

A! the th$gs o/ earth w$-- grow strage-& !$%I the -$ght o/ H$s g-or& a! gra#e'(

So, the more you get enamoured with these incredible blessings that can never beta&en away, your short-term $roblems wont seem as big. ow do you becomemore aware of these blessings(

Re/"#- 0&n !o$ *o 0e2.

BRAINSTORM: s a grou$, lets try to brainstorm as many of theseeternal, unchanging blessings that we have in 4hrist. @When your studentsrun dry, add some of these8 Im totally forgiven. 9ower over sin @I 4. 6A863>ll needs met @9hil. ?86! rials will all wor& for good @1om. #8 heultimate counselor is our friend @Is. !8"> @re you starting to feel better(>We have a $ur$ose in life @5t. e will never forsa&e us @eb. 638B> We have treasure in heaventhat ma&es /ill +ates loo& li&e a $au$er in com$arison @a billion dollars(hats $oc&et change in heaven. ton of gold( he streets are $aved with itthere.> We are safe from hell. @1ev. I am significant @+ods son diedfor me>


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:ont s$end all your $rayer time as&ing +od for stuff. =ext time, when yous$end some time with im in $rayer, tell im youre not there to as& foranything. ou 0ust want to than& im for what es already given you.

S'en$ +2e 2e$+&+n/ on !o$>s Wo$ .

he world sets its eyes on the things that go wrong and com$lains. he mature4hristian sets his eyes on the blessings that never change and gives than&s.

Im convinced that the more we understand the eternal, unchanging blessings wehave in 4hrist, the less well get rattled by the com$aratively minor troubles weex$erience here.

CONCLUSION

%ets not wait until we get home to $ut into $ractice what weve been tal&ingabout. In our closing time of $rayer, lets brainstorm every blessing, some thatchange and some that never change, and than& +od for them. ou may havenever before $rayed out loud, but its theres nothing to it. =o s$ecial +odlanguage or way you have to hold your hands. 9rayer is sim$ly tal&ing with +od.nd e can understand you the way you tal&.

So #e>s '&-. 9lease dont $ray long $rayers. sentence is long enough. Wewant many to have a chance to $ray. ou might want to $ray more than once asyou thin& of more things to be than&ful for. Ill beginC '%ord, than&s for thewater that covers my eye, so that my eye doesnt dry out and hurt.* =ow what areyou than&ful for( @%et them $ray.>

ACTIVITY:o ma&e us more aware of our blessings, lets have everyone thin& ofsome blessings, tem$oral and eternal, that you are than&ful for. =ow, lets s$endsome time in $rayer, 0ust than&ing +od for these things.


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(Lesson 6)

INTRODUCTION

2ver the $ast month, weve been trying to learn to master our circumstances, before they

master us. %ast wee& we said that there are two ways to view a huge wave. :oes anyoneremember what the two ways were( @%et them res$ond.> he sandcastle builder sees itand $anics, reali;ing that all his wor& could be washed away in a moment. /ut out in thewater, a surfer $addles frantically toward the same wave, ho$ing to catch it for the ride ofa lifetime. Its fascinating if you thin& about it. Its the same wave, but viewed withex$ectation by one and horror by the other.

%ast wee& we started loo&ing for ways to see our trials from the $ers$ective of the surferrather than the $ers$ective of the sandcastle builder. ow can we learn to ride wavesrather than be clobbered by them( %ets $ray that +od will hel$ us to find outC

PRAY

T&ns++on: %ast wee& we loo&ed at two ste$s to a new $ers$ective. he *+swas to reali;e that no matter how bad things get, -od has still have all that youneed for your present happiness. he se,on$ste$ was tosee your problems inrelation to how many blessings you have. =ow we come to number 3C

4. T0+n o* so2e /oo$ 0& 9+## es"#. (J2s 1:4


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continue the shots, "st as $/ they really help. 3ith this preparation, whichgroup will be able to take the shot with a better attitude0 3hy0 2>eople will&oyfully endure some pain, as long as they know that the payoff is worth thepain. The worst pains are the ones we can see no purpose for.

ouve mentioned some of these, but I want you to see them in in +ods Word.

&. Te2'o P&-o**s.

ILLUSTRATION: 3hen Corr$e te Boo%, and her sister Bets$e, wereshown to their ?uarters in $avensbruck, they found themselves crowded intoa flea infested room with 5** other women. 2It was built to accommodate

only G** +orrie groaned at the thought of the unwelcome fleas. #ut#etsie said, >raise the Aord. In time, -od's purposes became clear.#etsie and +orrie started a #ible Study group, and were amaed that theguards never came in to interrupt or search the ?uarters. #ut one day#etsie discovered the reason. The guards refuse to come in because of thefleas #etsie laughed. E #ecause of the fleas, we can share the gospelfreely with our fellow prisoners. 2+orrie ten #oom, by C&ersti off #ae,pp. )5 4orrie found reason to re0oice when she saw some good that couldcome out of her trials.

nd I thin& that when we loo& around the $ac& of sled dogs on the team infront of us get a better view, we too can re0oice in where we are heading. So,0ust what good can we &now will come from our $roblems(

T0e- B"+#$ C0&&,e

Cos$!er $t +"re o&, %& .rothers, wheever &o" /a#e tr$a-s o/ %a&1$!s, .e#a"se &o" 1ow that the test$g o/ &o"r /a$th !eve-o+s+ersevera#e'


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TN episode at ;niversal, the head of the camera department stopped anassociate and said, 4ou've got to go down to the soundstage. It'ssomething you'll never see again. 4our friend Spielberg is directing. 2ewas directing an emotional scene where a character dies. The associateresponded, I've seen people directing before. The camera man e!plained,4ou've never seen a crew stand there and cry.

So how did he learn the empathy that can't be taught in film school0Spielberg says that as a young person e!perienced his grandmother's deathwith his family at her bedside. e felt anti@semitism through bullies inschool, and learned what it's like to be an outcast from the re&ection hee!perienced in school. e learned the anguish of divorce by seeing hisparents go through it his senior year in high school. Do one wants toe!perience these tragedies, but I doubt Spielberg could have learned toproduce heart@felt films without them.

Says Spielberg, 1.T. was about the divorce of my parents, how I felt whenmy parents broke upE. "y wish list included having a friend who could beboth the brother I never had and a father that I didn't feel I had anymore.%nd that's how 1.T. was born. 2Steven Spielberg, by (oseph "c#ride,Simon and Schuster, )665, p. 5G.

So when I loo& around the $ac& to get a better view, I see my characterdevelo$ing as a result of my struggles. /ut theres more u$ ahead.

T0e- C&n F"0e T0e !os'e#

Now I wat &o" to 1ow, .rothers,that what has ha++ee! to %e has rea--&serve! to a!va#e the gos+e-'((P0+#. 1:14**)

ILLUSTRATION: $%$ A"1$o was driving along a street in Santa +ru,#olivia, when he struck a drunken man who suddenly stepped in front of hiscar. The man died an hour later, and Cimi was thrown into cell MG with )6other prisoners. 3hy would -od allow this0 Cimi wondered. e feltconfused and empty, like many of us would have felt. #ut the events of thene!t day answered Cimi's ?uestions. ;pon learning that Cimi was amissionary, one inmate suggested that he share something from -od's word.The power of -od filled the cell, as he began with (ohn 9:)H. Si!teen of themen responded to his invitation to repent The ne!t day he was allowed into

cell M), where all seven inmates prayed to receive +hrist. In +ell M9, fiveout of si! responded. Three days later, Cimi was released, leaving a churchof 9H believers behind 3hen he returned to visit, he found that theseconvicts were meeting regularly for group devotions. 2SI" DB3newsletter, Issue M56

1emember, you might notseethe im$act youre res$onse to trials is having onothers. he $oor s&ier in the $oor conditions never &new that his res$onse$rom$ted Steve to consider the gos$el. /ut trust +od. ell wor&.

P0+#. 1:13 De-$vera#e( Kothers have translated as'salvation,* 'release,* 'highest

welfare* or 'victoriously.*

3


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slowly recovered through two weeks in the hospital and months of physical therapy. isiat didn't survive, ending up in the &unkyard.

%fter the accident, -eorge was a changed person. e decided that there must be somereason he survived, and set his mind to get his act together and make something out ofhis life.

So he left his racing dreams behind and decided to go to college. There, he developedan interest in literature and writing. %nd instead of !r$v$grace cars, he began to/$-%them. Today, I'm sure he's glad for the accident that changed his life. 3ithout it, hemight have never found his niche in the film industry, and no one would have ever seenStar 3ars. That's right, -eorge's last name is Aucas. I'm glad he let his tragedy countfor something. @Nacts from Skywalking: The Aife %nd Times Bf -eorge Aucas, by :ale9olloc&, 6!#3, $$. xiii-3!>

5y $oint( %i&e %ucas, whatever trials you are facing, learn from them and reali;e thatgood can come from them, no matter how horrible they seem right now.

T0e- C&n He#' Yo" Le&8e Yo" M&

who #o%/orts "s $ a-- o"r tro".-es, so that we #a #o%/ort those $a& tro".-e w$th the #o%/ort we o"rse-ves have re#e$ve! /ro% Go!'( (II Co.1:


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!e+art a! .e w$th Chr$st, wh$#h $s .etter .& /ar0 '( (P0+#. 1:4445 ,. IICo. ;:117)

5any $eo$le are so earthly minded that theyre no heavenly good. nd oneday, all the things they lived for will $erish, because they decided to live their lifefor themselves and their own $leasure. /ut some of us have to get &noc&ed down

on our bac&s before we can loo& u$.

CONCLUSION

So are you seeing that without waves, a surfer could go nowhere( re you seeingthat it ta&es trials to get us where we need to go here on earth( With a new$ers$ective, our biggest waves can become our greatest friends. =ot that we dontcry at our losses or hurt with our $hysical $ains. /ut when we see the good thatcan come out of our trials, we no longer have to des$air.

=ow, for the trials you are facing K recovering from the betrayal of a friend, there0ection of someone you loved, a defeat in a s$ort that you have lived for. oure

left with a choice. ou can either des$air, conclude that lifes unfair and live therest of it in bitterness. 2r, you can choose to view your trials from that different$ers$ective. 4an you see that, li&e for Steven S$ielberg or 4orrie ten /oom, your$roblems might 0ust be the waves that $ush you on to future victories( %ets$rayC

PRAYER

3B


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(Lesson =)

INTRODUCTION

Were about to com$lete our series on "astering 4our +ircumstances, #efore They"aster 4ou. Weve said that theres a 0oy, a dee$ inner contentment, a $eace that is$ossible for us to have, even when our world is caving in around us.

Some of you have already discovered that one student can be rich, beautiful, and talented,yet miserable. nd a student sitting next to her, who seems to have little going for her, hasan en0oyment for life that 0ust wont uit. he difference comes from whats going on u$here @$oint to your head>, your $ers$ective on life.

We said that a huge wave can be viewed from two $ers$ectives. :o you remember what

they are( @he sandcastle builder and the surfer.> he same wave, yet it causes thesandcastle builder to retreat the surfer to charge.

REVIEW: ow many benefits can you come u$ with, either 0ust brainstorming orremembering from last wee&( @%et them share.>

%ets as& +od to hel$ us internali;e a few more $oints that can hel$ us master ourcircumstances.

PRAY

&. Een P&-o**s

We tal&ed about all the earthly $ayoffs that trials bring us. /ut for the 4hristian,the biggest $ayoffs will come when we hit heaven.

3"


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There/ore we !o ot -ose heart'Tho"gh o"twar!-& we are wast$gawa&, &et $war!-& we are .e$greewe! !a& .& !a&' For o"r -$ghta! %o%etar& tro".-es area#h$ev$g /or "s a etera- g-or& that

/ar o"twe$ghs the% a--' So we /$ o"re&es ot o what $s see, ."t o what$s "see' For what $s see $ste%+orar&, ."t what $s "see $setera-'( (II Co.


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ILLUSTRATION53e've mentionedDave Drave#1&several times,the fantastic pitcher with the San rancisco -iants, who lost hisability to pitch when surgery removed, not only a tumor, but half ofthe surrounding muscle from his pitching arm. #ut through his faithand iron will, he not only regained the use of his arm, but returned

to the ma&or leagues #ut the victory was short lived. In his secondgame back, his bone broke in a pitch, causing e!cruciating pain toshoot through his arm.

Dow tell me, what would go through your mind at this time0 2-etsome ideas. ere's how /ave describes it: %s odd as it sounds, Iwasn't discouraged as I lay there, because with the e!cruciatingpain came a strange sense of e!hilaration, a sense that -od wasn'tfinished with the story e was trying to tell with my life. It wasweird. There I was gritting my teeth, biting back, and I wasthinking, Bkay, -od, what's the ne!t chapter gonna be0 Thes"!!e-& I .e#a%e overwhe-%e! at what Go! was !o$g w$th %&-$/e, a! I rea-$e! what He was !o$g was %"#h .$gger tha.ase.a--'(2/ravecky, p. ))

:o you see how :ravec&ys confidence in +ods big $lan hel$ed himwhen most men would have folded( It wasnt that he was ha$$yabout leaving baseball behind. nd he certainly wasnt loo&ingforward to more doctor a$$ointments and surgery. /ut he wasassured that +od had a bigger $lan than baseball for his life.

9erha$s a romantic dream of yours has been recently crushed. If not,odds are itll ha$$en to you one day. nd when it does, sure, youllgrieve. /ut I ho$e you can also lay bac& in your bed at night and sayto your heavenly Nather, 'I cant wait to see the next cha$ter)

han&s, +od, that its bigger than that relationshi$.*

6. Re2e2%e T0ose W0o H&8e S"**ee$ Moe T0&nYo"

Are the& servats o/ Chr$st 2I a% o"t o/ %& %$! to ta-1 -$1e th$s'6 I a%%ore' I have wor1e! %"#h har!er, .ee $ +r$so %ore /re"et-&, .ee /-ogge!%ore severe-&, a! .ee e+ose! to !eath aga$ a! aga$' F$ve t$%es I re#e$ve!/ro% the *ews the /ort& -ashes %$"s oe' Three t$%es I was .eate w$th ro!s, o#eI was stoe!, three t$%es I was sh$+wre#1e!, I s+et a $ght a! a !a& $ the o+esea, I have .ee #ostat-& o the %ove' I have .ee $ !ager /ro% r$vers, $!ager /ro% .a!$ts, $ !ager /ro% %& ow #o"tr&%e, $ !ager /ro%

Get$-es0 $ !ager $ the #$t&, $ !ager $ the #o"tr&, $ !ager at sea0 a! $!ager /ro% /a-se .rothers' I have -a.ore! a! to$-e! a! have o/te goe w$tho"ts-ee+0 I have 1ow h"ger a! th$rst a! have o/te goe w$tho"t /oo!0 I have.ee #o-! a! a1e!' Bes$!es evert&th$g e-se, I /a#e !a$-& the +ress"re o/ %o#er /or a-- the #h"r#hes'( (II Co. 11:44 P0+#.


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;. !e Yo" E-es O** O* Yo"se#* (P0+#. 1:144;5 ,. IT0es. 4:13475 A,s 47:444

:o you 0ust turn inside and sul& when life throws you a curve( ryloo&ing for others to hel$.

6. Re+e Yo" S&e/+, I2'o&n,e In !o$>s P#&nFo T0e Wo#$.

The *es"s #a%e to the% a! sa$!, A-- a"thor$t& $ heavea! o earth has .ee g$ve to %e' There/ore go a! %a1e!$s#$+-es o/ a-- at$os, .a+t$$g the% $ the a%e o/ theFather a! o/ the So a! o/ the Ho-& S+$r$t, a! tea#h$gthe% to o.e& ever&th$g I have #o%%a!e! &o"' A! s"re-& Ia% w$th &o" a-wa&s, to the ver& e! o/ the age'((M. 4:147)

9eo$le can endure all &inds of suffering for a cause they believe in.Jolunteer soldiers endure slee$less nights, minimal rations, $hysical

exhaustion, and even torture for a cause they believe in K the$rotection of their country. :o you have a cause worth suffering for(4orrie and /etsie ten /oom did. hats how they could fill their$rison days with $ur$ose, giving ho$e to fellow $risoners whodangled on the edge of eternity. hats how :ave :ravec&y turnedthe loss of his arm and career into an o$$ortunity to $oint others toesus as his source of strength.

?6


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ave you ever gras$ed how much your life counts, when $laced in+ods hands(

=. En$"e T+## 0e En$

I have /o"ght the goo! /$ght, I have /$$she! the ra#e, I have 1e+t the /a$th'

Now there $s $ store /or %e the #row o/ r$ghteo"sess, wh$#h the Lor!, the r$ghteo"s*"!ge, w$-- awar! to %e o that !a& J a! ot o-& to %e, ."t a-so to a-- who have-oge! /or h$s a++ear$g'( (II T+2.


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Chr$st$as At Neros 6

Drave#1& Gets A!v$#e(

8' B& A-wa&s B-a%$g 2II 5;6

So%et$%es are to B-a%e 2*%s' 3537,396

A$e O+es U+(

a' Go! $s

36 Loo1 at *es"s 2Ro%' >5;0 I*' 95?6

86 Loo1 at the L$ves He has 2I *' 95@:3=6

76 Loo1 at H$s Co%%$t%et to 2*' 39546

??


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Not Ever&th$g That Ha++es Re/-e#ts Go!s S NEKT UESTION

!o$ M"s A##o9 S"**e+n/ Fo H+/0e

Ch$-!re See The Do#tor(

ACTION


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MASTERING YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES#1B$1 T14 "%ST1$ 4B;

(LESSON ;)

A' Res$st 2


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The& ee+ O"r E&es O 2


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ACTION


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MASTERING YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES#1B$1 T14 "%ST1$ 4B;

(LESSON 4)

C' DONT MIS*UDGE THE SOURCE OF YOURTROUBLES

3' B& A-wa&s B-a%$g Yo"rse-/ 2* ?53:>6

Drave#1& Gets A!v$#e(

8' B& A-wa&s B-a%$g Go! 2II 5;6

So%et$%es


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(LESSON )

a' Go! $s S%arta! )ere D"%. $Co%+ar$so 2I Cor' 375386

No C"sto%ers Be&o! Th$s


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!o$ M"s A##o9 S"**e+n/ Fo H+/0e P"'oses

Ch$-!re See The Do#tor(

ACTION


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(LESSON ;)

A' Res$st Ev& 2


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(LESSON 6)

3' Th$1 O/ So%e Goo! That )$-- Res"-t 2*%s' 358:9, II Cor'3590 953@0


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ACTION


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When Trials Come

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