Beyond the hardship

About seven years back I climbed a mountain.

Snowdon.

A mountain in North Wales.

A place of breathtaking beauty.

I climbed the mountain to raise money for my daughter, who needed support for her gap year. I started at the bottom in driving rain. It stopped half way up. It was an arduous climb. My mate Andy did it with me. We had no idea how bone shatteringly hard this climb would be. Most of the way up was where pain and breathlessness. We had no idea. We were not experienced climbers. I have only ever been up mountains on trains or chair lifts.

But I had to do it for my girl.

The other thing that kept us going was the thought of the view we would have from the summit of Snowdon.

It would be amazing.

But the climb was just a battle involving moments when I thought my breathing may stop, and pain in muscles I didn't know I had.

It was far from pleasant, far from enjoyable.

And.

To top it all off.

When we got to the top?

There was a thick soup like mist not five yards from your face which meant you could not see anything.

But I did it, and it helped my daughter out.

I shared recently that we've had a tough time lately, with pain and hurt and a sprinkling of self doubt and other daft stuff creeping in from time to time.

It's been really painful.

To the point you almost book your holiday to self pity land pronto.

Ministry.

Yeah it's amazing but there at times when it is bitingly hard.

I was praying yesterday for hours.

I got to thinking about the climb up Snowdon, how I was spurred on up that mountain, through the pain, knowing that I would help my daughter and that I would see a fantastic view at the top.

What was to come, what the purpose of the climb was, was worth the pain.

Ok, the view didn't happen, but I knew that in reality beyond the mist was a fantastic panoramic view.

Then.

My thoughts went to the cross.

And a thought dropped into my head.

I know you cannot compare the pain of climbing a mountain with having your hands and feet nailed to a cross.

Of course not.

But this thought dropped in my head.

Jesus went through that pain knowing what lay the other side of his physical death.The opportunity for the world to be saved.

The thing is in the pain of hardship, God is always shaping us, training us, disciplining us.

Here is proof of that.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. (Hebrews 12:7-13 NIV)

In all of the pain of the hardship Dawn and I are currently experiencing, a friend of mine challenged me the other day in a phone conversation that I needed to learn from the hardship. To learn to be more confident in who I am in Christ.

And she was right.

And.

After reading this scripture I truly believe that I have to endure this hardship as discipline. And I was dumb struck by the verse that says, no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Yeah, it's definitely not pleasant!

But beyond the hardship? There will be a harvest of righteousness and peace.

Wow.

And I could see why I was thinking of the day when I climbed Snowdon.

Beyond the hardship the purpose of it was accomplished.

Beyond the hardship of the cross, Jesus accomplished a harvest of righteousness and peace for all of us forever.

This truth puts a whole new perspective on hardships.

Though right now it's not pleasant, God is teaching me, training me disciplining me. And I will be stronger and deeper with him beyond the hardship.

I guess right here, right now there will be people reading this who are at the beginning of a hardship, or in the middle of some hardship, or coming out the other side of hardship. Your heads are whirling, you feel disengaged and disabled. You cannot see beyond it. A bit like when I stood at the top of Snowdon and couldn't see the view?

Never the less it was definitely there beyond the mist.

And.

I want to say today.

There is sure hope beyond the hardship. Just think beyond it. You will be stronger, fitter and more rounded. Righteousness and peace will inject your life.

So as the scripture says.

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Get up today in the strength of the Spirit and walk forward despite any hardship.

Walk on with courage and bravery in your heart.

Your being disciplined.

Your being trained.

You will get through it.

You will get to the other side.