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SNAFU

              But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. (II Corinthians 4:7-12)

 

SNAFU: Situation Normal, All Fouled Up (expressed in a polite manner.)

We’re told that history repeats itself because we didn’t learn the first time. We’re also told that life isn’t “one damned thing after another,” but “the same damned thing over and over.” (Excuse the language, please.)

We seem to think that life should be without trauma, trial, or tribulation. That is to say that life should be without undeserved trauma, trial, or tribulation. For some people, the (one and only) reason someone should face difficulty is as revenge for having done evil (AKA: karma.) Scripture makes it clear that life is filled with trauma, trials, and tribulation, both deserved and undeserved.

One claim is that some people blame themselves for everything that goes wrong. Others blame anyone and everyone else. I tend to be of the former category. The reality is that everything that happens to us is a mix of death and life working in us and in the lives of those around us. Sometimes the death or life comes from the outside. Others, it comes from the inside.

Either way, it’s painful, but the point is that for those who are in Christ, life will win. And whether it is life or death that we observe in ourselves, the point is that God is glorious in it. Rather than demanding a safe and easy life, our prayer should be that God would glorify Himself in it. 

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