God never promised there wouldn't be suffering in this world. There is. And we can count on the fact we will go through tough times at some point during life, maybe even often. And during the suffering and the tough times, God wants us to turn to Him, to trust Him, to lean on Him.
When things are tough for me, when I'm in a batting slump, or injured, or things just aren't going well, the temptation is to get caught up in the wrong things. Satan works hard in our lives, and he's always trying to get us to doubt, or to feel sorry for ourselves, or to wonder whether God loves us or not. And we lose the joy of simply being the children of God.
It's when things are tough, when there is suffering, that we need to focus on God, to pray, to be in the Word. When I'm struggling, or kind of down, it's only by turning to God that I can find a sense of peace or joy.
In 1998, I was hit in the eye with a baseball. It was a serious injury. In fact, my career was in jeopardy. I was blind for a couple of days. Suddenly, everything I had worked for and dreamed about seemed about to be taken away. But I didn't say, "Why me?" I truly believed God would not give me more than I could handle. And I leaned on God. I turned to God. And He got me through.
It's in suffering that we learn to trust God. It's in suffering that we grow. Oh, it's not fun while we're going through it, but it's how we learn what real joy is.
Things happen for a reason. And sometimes God uses suffering in order to help us focus on things that mean the most. And we learn that joy does not come through success, but from trusting God no matter what.
That's the lesson Job learned. He had such success. He had wealth, and family and power. And then it was all gone. But Job never lost his joy, because he continued to trust God through everything. And even when others around him, his friends, and his wife, tried to get him to think negatively, he would not. He simply trusted God. And he discovered a greater joy and a greater blessing than he had with all his wealth. He discovered that the love of God is enough for all of life.
It's easy to think that money brings joy, or success brings joy. It doesn't. The baseball life-style can be an illusion. It all looks so glamorous. And there's money, and fame. But it doesn't last. And it's not real. The only thing that lasts, and the only thing that's real, is the love of God.
And isn't it interesting that we see the love of God most in suffering? Not ours, but His. On a cross, Jesus suffered. On a cross, Jesus died. And He died because we are loved. He died to take away our sins and restore us to our heavenly Father. And Jesus went through that suffering and that pain and that adversity because of love.
And because Jesus died and rose again for us, we know that we can't lose. We know that God is with us always, and will never leave us. And all the things that seem to go wrong, all the suffering we experience, can never rob us of our joy, for we have found the greatest joy of all – the love of God.
And we don't have to worry. We can be like children, who are carefree. And if Satan is attacking us, trying to make us feel bad, we can just laugh at him. And if I'm in a slump, or if I've made an error, or if we lose a game, or a series, or even have a bad year, I know God still loves me, and always will.
Maybe you've got some hurt in your life right now. Maybe there's something you're going through that is very difficult. Just know that God loves you. And trust His love. And if ever you wonder whether God really loves you, then look at the cross, and you will know the greatest joy.