John 17:4 (KJV)
(Jesus praying to the Father) “I have glorified Thee on the earth. I have finished the work which You gave me to do.”
Our work on earth will include some form of difficulty or pain. Jesus told his disciples to take up their crosses, and follow Him. There is a cross to bear, because the pain of a broken world will certainly intersect our calling. Can you “accept with grace the fact that difficulty is part of what it takes to achieve a particular end?” Or are you locked into a dualistic thinking that leaves no room for a theology of suffering? “Difficulty is inherent, in some form or another, in every line of work and at the heart of every vocation.” This is the place in which “we encounter our own need for God and grow in dependence on Him for His all-sufficient grace.” For the joy that was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross (Heb. 12:2). Identify your cross. Accept it graciously, without self-pity. A path of strength will develop within your life that will result in an ability to bring life to others.
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