Affliction, that inner turmoil which is the result of exterior circumstances serves a great purpose for those who will receive its correction. It causes one to look inward to see what the Father is trying to show us about ourselves. If one struggles with the pride of life, affliction can reveal its source and lead one through the door of humility.
One thing to recognize is that affliction comes as the result of the Father’s great love for us. While being afflicted, it is tempting to think that he does not love us and He is being hateful toward us. People can mistake it as some form of malice. The reality is that it is a manifestation of love. The Father takes no pleasure in our affliction; nonetheless, He will go to great lengths to bring correction where it is needed, even if it causes Him sorrow. There are times He whispers words of correction, but when we refuse to listen, He speaks a little louder. Sometimes He simply has to turn up the heat when we are in a state of being lukewarm -complacent. Remember, the Father disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6).
Pride causes insensitivity to the plight of others. It also causes one to become judgmental. In our pride it can be easy to become self-righteous. When another person fails to live up to our expectations, we can become critical of that person, even judge their heart as if we know everything that is going on. It is too easy to equate someone’s lot in life to some sort of moral failure. We do not see what a person is struggling with nor do we know all that there is know about their circumstances; unless of course, they tell us or the Lord reveals it. Unless we are walking in their shoes, we simply do not see the whole picture. Enter in affliction! When affliction comes, suddenly the tables turn. Now we are in a place where we may be misunderstood. A place where our heart cries out, “I’m innocent!” At which time we realize we were guilty -we were judging another, now we begin to see things from a new perspective. It brings us to a place of repentance because our heart was softened as a result. It helps us to remember that when people are “failing to live up to our expectations,” that perhaps they are struggling and we need to pray for them. Someone’s “failure” may be a symptom of an inner struggle.
When undergoing affliction, one will tend to be less critical of others, unless one becomes angry or has a hard heart. For some, affliction is an offense. Therefore, they become offended when adverse circumstances come their way. Face it, it is difficult to embrace a difficult moment and squeeze out of it everything the Lord intends for us to receive. Caution: rejecting correction leads to self-deception. The flesh will always hate affliction because it means it cannot have its way. Crucifixion is not very pleasant!
It is important to realize that when affliction ends, we need to remain in a state of humility. We want to remember the lesson learned, so that our hearts remain soft -that is if we receive the correction. When the pressure is off, the flesh will try to crawl off the cross undetected. Of course, when the pressure is on, it will scream to come off the cross. It will make deals with God in order to turn off the heat, but the only thing that will cause it to be turned off is repentance. The quicker we humble ourselves, the quicker peace comes. We must dump the victim-mentality and rejoice. The Father only disciplines those who belong to Him!
