Surprised by Suffering? Don’t Be
Robert Dawson
1 Peter 4:12-19
There are some things in life that surprise us. I ran across two quirky little news stories over the last couple of weeks. One involved a woman who walked into her bathroom and found a black iguana in the commode. Surprise! The other involved someone who walked up to their car, which was in a parking deck, only to be met by an alligator hanging out underneath their ride. Surprise!
Those things should surprise us. They are not normal. It’s unusual and unexpected.
While there are some things in life that surprise us, there are others that should not surprise us. If you go to Sea World, which Kristal and Jordan did just recently, and you sit in the splash zone at the killer whale or dolphin show, complete with warning signs, and you walk away soaked, that should not be a surprise. If you park your car near a baseball field during a game or practice and a ball goes through your windshield, you should not be surprised. If you hang out at a donut shop and get fat and develop diabetes, that is not surprising.
And yet, we all know people who get wet in the splash zone, had to replace a windshield at the ballpark or got fat and over sugared from spending their paycheck at the sweet-shop and are surprised those things happen.
They shouldn’t be but they are. At that point we are surprised that they are surprised.
Peter’s letter was written to a group of churches who fell into that second category, people surprised by events taking place that should not have surprised them. Let’s see what surprised them and Peter’s response to them...and us.
1 Peter 4.12-19 - Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 14 If you are reviled for ...
Robert Dawson
1 Peter 4:12-19
There are some things in life that surprise us. I ran across two quirky little news stories over the last couple of weeks. One involved a woman who walked into her bathroom and found a black iguana in the commode. Surprise! The other involved someone who walked up to their car, which was in a parking deck, only to be met by an alligator hanging out underneath their ride. Surprise!
Those things should surprise us. They are not normal. It’s unusual and unexpected.
While there are some things in life that surprise us, there are others that should not surprise us. If you go to Sea World, which Kristal and Jordan did just recently, and you sit in the splash zone at the killer whale or dolphin show, complete with warning signs, and you walk away soaked, that should not be a surprise. If you park your car near a baseball field during a game or practice and a ball goes through your windshield, you should not be surprised. If you hang out at a donut shop and get fat and develop diabetes, that is not surprising.
And yet, we all know people who get wet in the splash zone, had to replace a windshield at the ballpark or got fat and over sugared from spending their paycheck at the sweet-shop and are surprised those things happen.
They shouldn’t be but they are. At that point we are surprised that they are surprised.
Peter’s letter was written to a group of churches who fell into that second category, people surprised by events taking place that should not have surprised them. Let’s see what surprised them and Peter’s response to them...and us.
1 Peter 4.12-19 - Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 14 If you are reviled for ...
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