Character and Hope

Character and Hope

God uses circumstances in our lives to build His character within us.  Actually, various trials and tribulations that we constantly bemoan are tests.  God allows these challenges so He may ascertain the desires of our hearts.  Thereby, He determines how He will use us in building His kingdom.  As we pass these daily tests, we mature into the “image and likeness” of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

“Pain is the touchstone of all spiritual progress.”  It is the stark irony of the Christian life that pain proves most instructive and beneficial for personal development and spiritual growth.  Just as God uses the pain of the crucifixion to redeem humankind, He utilizes our suffering to convert our characters into His own.  Although I disparage an emphasis upon “redemptive suffering” in many corners of Christendom, I realize its necessity for spiritual maturity.  We cannot theoretically gain Christian character.  Progressing spiritually is a relational, experiential and practical.  Interestingly, pain most reliably grabs our attention and gains our cooperation as it relates to spiritual development. 

In his letter to the Church at Rome, the apostle Paul discourses upon the necessity of pain in obtaining character.  “We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope.” (Romans 3-4)  Essentially, suffering is the gate to the road of hope.  Through suffering, one obtains perseverance, which is synonymous with endurance. The ability to “hang in there” despite affliction of circumstances formulates character.  Elsewhere, Paul refers to this quality as being “steadfast.”  Once a person acquires a strong character, he matures into a person of hope.  Spiritual maturation begins with willingness to embrace pain and learn from it.

One of the by-products of our “problems” is empathy with others.  Daily strength of character empowers us to minister to others.  As we live through health challenges, bereavement, termination, divorce, and failures, we help others who encounter similar situations.  In 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Paul praises the Lord as “The God of All Comfort” who comforts us so that we may in turn be of comfort to others who suffer.  We honestly tell people we know how they feel.

Heretofore, I disparaged traditional church notions of “redemptive suffering.”  As an African-American male Christian, I disliked this timed-honored emphasis in the Black Church.  I hated hearing the saying, “If we suffer, we will reign with Him.”  It appeared mandatory to suffer myriad burdens and oppressions that have unjustly defined the Black experience.  Historically, suffering became a “normal” part of daily life.  In contradistinction, I dismissed this type of preaching as the proverbial and useless “pie in the sky” survivalist approach.  I now realize the fundamental potential of Christ’s suffering in cultivation and acquisition of character.  Suffering is redemptive because God transforms pain into His perfect purposes. 

Paul additionally assures the Roman Church, “All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.”  (Romans 8:28)  That immortal verse is a divine promise that every painful situation is a catalyst for a divine purpose.  The Greek word for this alteration is metamorphosis, which means a complete changeover.  A natural example is a caterpillar entering a cocoon and ultimately leaving as a beautiful butterfly.  Similarly, the painful circumstances form a cocoon in which we obtain endurance, character and hope.  Everything we experience accomplishes something “good,” as we partner with God and learn from the situation.

Our willingness to learn from our pain redeems it.  Problems should not overwhelm the believer.  It does not matter whether we detect origins of our dilemmas.  Actually, knowing the beginnings and reasons for our situations does not necessarily aid us in resolving them.  Nevertheless, if we transform our challenges into learning experiences, we certainly triumph over them each time.  Additionally, we do not feel like victims.  In its simplest spiritual sense, pain instructively builds character, which leads to hope.