Scriptures:
Psalm 37:18-19 (EXB)
“The Lord watches over [knows] the lives [days] of the innocent [blameless], and their reward [inheritance] will last forever. 19 They will not be ashamed when trouble comes [in the day of evil/trouble]. They will be full [satisfied; satiated] in times of hunger [famine].”
2 Corinthians 4:17 (EXB)
“We have small troubles for a while now, but they are helping us gain an eternal glory that is much greater than the troubles.”
Shame RX:
There is no shame in trouble because our God is with us through it all.
“You’re in TWUBBLE”. Such a statement would send shock waves down our little kindergarten selves. “Twubble” meant shame. We were guilty. No denying it and we were going to get it. But there is another type of trouble – you know, the troubles that life sends our way. We didn’t earn it or ask for it, but we sure got it. And the familiar companion of shame comes along for the ride, too.
Ever felt embarrassed for circumstances beyond your control? Troubles happen to us all, but sometimes they seem to “pile on”. Murphy’s Law, right? We can start to feel like we are a moving target that just keeps getting hit – again and again. But our troubles pale in light of the truths found in Scripture concerning troubles.
Troubles are temporary.
Even if our troubles last a lifetime, they will come to an end. But while we have them, God is at work. Nothing is wasted. And those stubborn troubles? They are achieving something for us that far surpasses the trouble itself.
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Troubles earn us rewards.
Troubles seem pointless. Unnecessary even. But there is a mystery in troubles. They cause us to look upward and they can work beautiful character in. Scripture says they help us gain an eternal glory. There is no shame in that now, is there?
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Troubles give us perspective.
The eternal glory we will have for all that we go through on this earth is vastly greater than any trouble we face. When we can rise above the troubles and glorify God in the midst, shame dissolves and God’s glory is seen. Simply beautiful. Trouble woke us up to realize what really matters – not a perfect life, but a life lived for One.
We will all take our turn with troubles. But when we face our troubles with Christ, we let go of the sting of shame that comes with troubles. We aren’t alone in our struggles. There is no shame in trouble because our God is with us through it all.