When life isn't fair

For we walk by faith, not by sight.   2 Corinthians 5:7

 

In his book Disappointment with God, Philip Yancey writes about a friend named Douglas who experienced deep disappointment. Douglas’s wife contracted breast cancer. While in the middle of this crisis, a drunk driver swerved across the center line and smashed head-on into Douglas’ car, and Douglas received a severe blow to the head. His vision was affected, and his ability to read was hindered. He could hardly walk down a flight of stairs without assistance. The damage was irreparable. Philip interviewed Douglas to ask if he felt disappointment with God. Philip writes. . .

 

“Douglas was silent for what seemed like a long time. Finally he said, “To tell you the truth, Philip, I didn’t feel any disappointment with God. . . . The reason is this: I learned, first through my wife’s illness and then especially through the incident, not to confuse God with life. . .  I have learned to see beyond the physical reality of this world to the spiritual reality. We tend to think, ‘Life should be fair because God is fair.’ But God is not life. And if I confuse God with the physical reality of life, by expecting constant health, for example, then I set myself up for a crashing disappointment. God’s existence, even his love for me, does not depend on my good health. Frankly, I’ve had more time and opportunity to work on my relationship with God during my impairment than before.”

 

We can see beloved that Douglas learned to successfully navigate disappointment when you don’t get what you want: to believe without seeing, to walk by faith and not by sight. Douglas knew that God is loving and powerful, even though his circumstances didn’t support this truth.

 

Some people think that trusting God as Douglas did, to believe without seeing, is foolish. “Blind faith,” they scoff. But isn’t faith often blind? If faith can see from beginning to end, if faith means that we understand all things like God, then faith is not faith at all.

Prayer:  Lord increase our faith.  Amen

Pastor Todd A. Brown

"Developing Kingdom Ambassadors"

New Mount Zion Baptist Church