When those questions have come to my mind, I've had an “attitude correction” from a quote I heard years ago by A.W. Tozer (1897-1963). An American Christian pastor, author, magazine editor and spiritual mentor, he was best known for writing The Knowledge of the Holy and The Pursuit of God. These are not “lite-fare” reading. They're chewy, soul-searching. What's more amazing is that Tozer, born into poverty, was self-educated through university level studies.
One quote that has stuck with me through the years is this:
It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.
One of the misconceptions about the Christian life is that after asking Christ into one's life, everything should be sweet and easy. Not so. We're “messes” that need a lot of shaping and hammering—often through unwelcome adversity—to pound out the spoiled attitudes that whine “it's all about me.” To continue Tozer's quote:
God actually rises up storms of conflict in relationships at times in order to accomplish that deeper work in our character. We cannot love our enemies in our own strength. This is graduate-level grace. Are you willing to enter this school? Are you willing to take the test? If you pass, you can expect to be elevated to a new level in the Kingdom. For He brings us through these tests as preparation for greater use in the kingdom. You must pass the test first.
In a few days, we'll flip our calendars over to not only a new month, but a new year. We cannot know what will happen in 2025—but God does. We might be tempted to pray, “Bless me bunches,” thinking of material things or happy relationships. But God may have another agenda, a better one, maybe a painful one, to shape us into the image of His beloved Son.
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