Have you heard of the Prosperity Gospel? From what I gather, it's a belief that God wants us to be happy, to prosper... It comes from a verse in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 29:11), "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare & not for evil, to give you a future & a hope." Seems simple enough. It's a belief that God wants us to have physical well being as well as wealth and/or success. So, if you buy into this, & you live life the best you know how, fully believing God is leading you, what happens when you stumble across hardships, hardships which derail your success? Perhaps a family member becomes seriously ill, a cherished relationship fails, someone cheats you, & the list goes on... & on...
These things (called hardships & LIFE) happen everyday to people. They are earth shattering to the people who experience them. If they believe in the Prosperity Gospel, then what accounts for the closed door? I believe God does want good things for me, but I don't believe that's his chief concern. Ultimately, if I have a relationship with Him (His son), I will have something far deeper & more meaningful than health & wealth on this earth. If I believe in the Prosperity Gospel, I have set myself up for depression & possibly even disbelief in God. In John 16:33, Jesus said,"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
It's a given, TROUBLE will be a part of my life. It's just a matter of when, how much, what will it look like, how long will it last, is there an end in sight? So my question is this, "How do I find BEAUTY in my TROUBLES?" Life keeps happening whether I like my troubles or not. They are not what I would choose, but I have a BIG choice in how I choose to face them. Do my troubles mean that God has forsaken me? No! If it weren't for Him, I wouldn't be whole. I wouldn't be thriving in a broken world filled with daily evil & so much sorrow. If I walk around believing that God wants only good for me, then how can I reconcile not just my own troubles, but the troubles of the ones I love, & the troubles of this world? I cannot just cover my eyes & pretend everything is okay. It's not. It never has been in my lifetime, & until I rest in Heaven, everything will not be okay for me. That's a truth.
So, if God wants Health & Wealth for me, but bad things still happen, how do I make sense of this? I whole heartedly believe that God cares about every detail of my life. He has shown that to me over & over. I believe that bad things happen because we live in a broken world. When I pray, I believe God hears my prayer, but His answer may not look at all how I expected it to look. That too has happened over & over in my life. I can honestly say, I have been shaped by my troubles & learned far more from them than my mountaintop highs in life. I love the mountaintops, but they are not what makes me who I am. No, it's those darned old troubles that nag at me daily that keep me close to God & make me Susie.
I believe that God is far more interested in the refining of my heart & fitting me for Heaven than He is in giving me Health & Wealth on this earth. Health & Wealth are temporary as are the things of this earthly life. The lessons learned & the beauty found in our troubles is eternal. Looking for the BEAUTY in the hardship is challenging, but it's fulfilling & far more meaningful than the things that make our life easier. If you are reading this, & you believe in the Prosperity Gospel, I mean no offense to you. It just doesn't work for me. My physical well being & total contentment will come in Heaven. Until then, I will look to God for my sustenance. Finding the Beauty is beautiful.
