Many times during the course of my 85 years, I have come face to face with seemingly insurmountable difficulties. Some of these turned out to be imaginary; some of them were very real. Some of them passed into oblivion quickly, and some of them endured for great lengths of time. In parallel, I’m reminded of the two old country boys who were trying to impress each other with their vast storehouse of knowledge about girls. One of them observed, “Now, pretty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone. Pretty is sure to pass away, but that old ugly just keeps hanging on.” In a remote but comparative way, that’s how troubles and treasures come into, and abide in our lives. Some are fleeting, some are steadfast. Some bring happiness and others bring tears.
In the annals of recorded history, I would dare say there have been few people who ever confronted more or harder trials than the apostle Paul. Consider, “…In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft” (2 Corinthians 11:23). He then continued to relate a staggering account of tragic abuses. ‘Beaten by the Jews five times with 39 stripes. Beaten with rods three times. Stoned once. In three ship wrecks. A day and a night in the deep. In endless journeys.’ Listen to his next words: “In perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness…the daily care of all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).
“This I know – if all men should take their troubles to market, to barter with their neighbors, not one of them, when he had seen the troubles of other men, but would be glad to carry his own back home again.” (Herodotus: History VII)
A reasonable summary of all the above data will leave us with the understanding that we are not alone when it comes to having difficulty in our lives. Some appear to weather the storms of life with ease, while others founder and grow more and more despondent. Is there an explanation for such? I believe there is! Some have evidently read and observed what Peter said about such, “…casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Those who do this are not struggling alone with their burdens, but they face them with the sustaining arms of eternal God. The same problems without God’s help would certainly be a formidable and daunting task for anyone.
If our reasoning was tempered with the same degree or righteousness that typified the apostle Paul, we could more easily understand his statement: “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Another of his revealing statements reads, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Then, finally, note, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
No doubt, we’ll have troubles in this life! If we confronted the one responsible for most of them, however, and gave him a swift kick, we might have trouble sitting down comfortably for the next few days! Insurmountable troubles? Hardly! Face all of them with God’s sustaining arms.
