Articles
Growing and Learning
Growing and learning; that’s the life of a Christian in a nutshell, isn’t it? We have more growing and learning days than we do great and fantastic days. Growing is a process, and at times it’s difficult and painful. Ever feel like you take one step forward and two back?
The life of a Christian can be tough. It is no Disneyland. Paul, said, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Cor. 4:8,9). That’s true, but all this demands persevering through those hard moments and refusing to give up.
Living as a Christian doesn’t mean that all our problems are solved. The Bible never says that; it assures us we will be new creatures, and that we have a promise that is secure. But nowhere does the Bible guarantee a downhill slide once we are Christians. In fact, in some instances the road may get tougher. Certainly life got tougher for Paul after he became a Christian (2 Cor. 11:28-33)!
Also, we can’t expect all the problems we ever face to be addressed in the Bible. There are many times when there’s no explicit answer for a specific problem, but at such times we are forced to walk by faith, trusting the Lord. Abraham certainly did.
Furthermore, being a Christian with problems doesn’t make you unspiritual. Having problems simply means you are human, yet, sadly, this idea pervades even many Christians’ thinking. We all have problems, but wrestling with a dilemma does not make us unspiritual. Some of the most spiritual men and women wrestled with significant problems in their life. Consider Job and his suffering. He didn’t have an answer. He did not understand why. His counselors, with their severe and heady statements, were grossly wrong. They didn’t know, either.
Finally, just being exposed to sound Biblical teaching will not automatically solve our problems. No matter how reliable the teaching or gifts of the teacher, the declaration of truth does not provide the removal of difficulties.
Think of the Bible as an absolute road map, a map that tells how to get to a certain destination. Just looking at a map won’t automatically transport us to Arizona or England. Getting to our destination means we have to make the effort, pay the cost, and take the time for travel. We must stay at it until we arrive. So it is with the life of a Christian. God’s map is reliable and available, clear and direct. But there is no hocus-pocus in its pages that automatically sends us on magic a carpet ride. Christians must persevere in order to grow.
