No one wants to experience hardship. In this verse the Apostle Paul detailed his own experience with hardship. He said, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am to be content.” These words of contentment are a contrast. How and why would anyone think of himself as being content while suffering! To the normal way of thinking this does not make sense.
We are accustomed to gaining satisfaction for our needs and even our wants. Somehow society has educated the modern person to think the only way to have contentment, or happiness is to gain something. We believe without getting something out of life that appeases us we are at a loss. We think of ourselves as entitled. The world around us is supposed to cater to whatever our heart desires. If this does not happen, and quite often it does not, we become discouraged and unhappy. Some people go so far as to voice that life has cheated them.
Whatever hardship tracks us down most people view it as a tragedy. If we find ourselves suffering, we have convinced ourselves that this is unacceptable. When the world does not cooperate with our goals or our whims, it is our temptation to blame someone. If circumstances turn against us leaving sadness or grief, some people become bitter; some people blame God. They might say that God let them down. If a sincere prayer is not answered in the way we believe it should be answered, we allow our faith to be bruised.
The Apostle Paul was opposite in his feelings and attitude to most people. He saw the negative situation that occurred as part of his learning curve. Keep in mind that, whose original name was Saul, had everything going for him according to the world’s standards. He was youthful, well-educated, and on the road to enjoy success among his peers. He had a deep conviction that what he was doing by persecuting Christians was the correct and he was protecting the stability of his religion.
Then Paul met Jesus! He was traveling on a road leading to the city of Damascus so that he might further his persecutions. Jesus not only appeared to him but also spoke to him. Paul was immediately converted to the way of Jesus. His entire life turned upside down. He lost everything that most people would count valuable. Friends and family turned against him. He was excommunicated from his religion that he valued so much. However, because his experience with Jesus was so phenomenal, he was absolutely committed and determined to follow the instructions of Jesus as a preacher and teacher for the way of salvation.
By the time he wrote the words of our text, he was fully engulfed in his ministry. He suffered greatly. He was beaten, he was ridiculed, his life was threatened constantly. He lived from hand to mouth without any promise for the next meal or the next place where to sleep. Most people would have pity on him. Most people would say that he made a serious mistake in becoming a Christian. The truth is that he shared not just his experiences, he shared a new joyous attitude under the weight of all that could be bad in his life. You and I living in the natural or carnal ways could not relate to what Paul was trying to teach. What is most important to us is if we can ever get to the place of using hardship as a learning experience, we would advance our spiritual lives greatly. We would know Christ in a new and better way. The life of faith, true and sincere faith, looks at circumstances in a novel and completely unique way. If you are suffering now, turn the dial in your brain so that you can learn what God wants to teach you. If you are not suffering now, you will sometime in the future. Be prepared with a strong spiritual attitude.
Christian Writer 