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Hope and Freedom

              Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Romans 5:3-4)

 

            If you lift something heavy – especially repeatedly – there are two things that are likely to happen. The first is that your muscles will get stronger. The second is that you’ll strain them, possibly even tearing them so that your muscles aren’t attached to the bones anymore. That might be an oversimplification of things, but it’s a picture of what happens when we suffer under heavy burdens. It can make  us stronger or break the bonds that hold us. We think they hold us together, but sometimes, they are shackles. We may feel like we’re falling apart or dying, but we’re gaining freedom.

            The problem is that gaining freedom isn’t comfortable, easy, or (usually) fast. It requires persevering through suffering and developing character. The result is freedom because hope involves letting go of the less or the bad and reaching toward the more and the good. Without endurance and character, hope is just a passing dream.

 

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