More Than a Church Kid

In my last two posts, I've covered four out of five reasons for difficult times in our lives. Since I've had so much to say about each reason, what was meant to be one article turned into a three-part series. Well, I hope you haven't become annoyed with my wordiness. The last reason for adversity is... 5. Suffering Gives Us a Story to Tell Now, when I say, “suffering gives us a story to tell,” I  don't  mean the kind of story where the victim of life's circumstances complains to drum up sympathy from others. What I mean is that our story may someday help others.  The difference is in our motives: when we complain, chances are, we're doing it for ourselves. We may want to look like the victim, point fingers, and drum up sympathy from others. On the other hand, when we share our story in a beneficial way, we do so for the good of others, not out of selfish ambition. It helps us to empathize with them so  they  can feel understood and validated.

In my last post,  I began a list of five reasons for hardships. I mentioned the wrong ideology that our relationship with God is a way to take the easy route in life. Some televangelists and other pastors promise that faith is a definite ticket toward financial success, physical blessings, and illness-free living. This growing belief, most commonly known as the "prosperity gospel," is sweeping the nation. This doesn't make it right. In fact, being perfectly honest: the prosperity gospel is dead wrong.  The prosperity gospel is idolatry with the word "Jesus" sprinkled in a few times. It is not the Gospel. Anyway, since this topic could (and possibly will) turn into a whole blog post, I suppose I'll get back to the point. We aren't promised a shower of  physical  blessings   here on this earth. We are to live a life broken and spilled out for the sake of gaining Christ. However, we are promised  spiritual  prosperity, as well as the hope