JANUARY 14, 2015
It’s
Worth It
Read: 2
Corinthians 11:24-33
If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.
—2 Corinthians
11:30
“I can’t do it,”
Robert said, throwing his pencil down in despair. “It’s just too hard!”
Reading, writing, and spelling seemed impossible to our dyslexic 9-year-old. At
last, a solution was offered. But it was tough. We had to do reading and
spelling practice with him for 20 minutes every evening—without exception.
Sometimes we just didn’t feel like doing it, and at times we despaired of
seeing progress. But we were committed to getting Robert’s reading age and his
chronological age to match, so we battled on.
After 2 1/2 years, all
the tears and struggles seemed infinitely worthwhile. Robert learned to read
and spell. And we all learned patient endurance.
The apostle Paul
suffered all sorts of hardships as he pursued his goal of sharing the good news
of Jesus with those who had never heard. Persecuted, beaten, imprisoned, and
misunderstood, sometimes he faced death itself (2 Cor. 11:25). But the joy of
seeing people respond to his message made it all worthwhile.
If you feel that the
task God has called you to is too hard, remember that the spiritual lessons and
joy that are wrapped up in the journey may seem hidden at first, but they are
certainly there! God will help you find them.
Sometimes we learn that hardships
Were blessings in disguise,
That earnest work and faith in God
Were proven to be wise. —Hess
The
journey is as important as the destination.
Insight
As Paul recounts some
of the things he has endured in the service of Christ, the scene from Damascus
(vv.32-33) is of special interest. There, Paul’s aggressive preaching ministry
created great tension in the Jewish community, resulting in his novel escape
(see Acts 9:22-25).
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
