For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:10)
Jace waited until everybody else had left the break room. He wanted to talk to Tony alone. Tony had worked at the same electronics warehouse as Jace for six months now, and had been picked on for his Christian faith almost from the beginning. “Tony, what is it about you?” questioned Jace. “It seems like the harder these guys come down on you, the better job you do of putting up with it.”
Tony smiled, then said, “There are Christians around the world suffering a lot more than I am. And Jesus suffered more than all of us put together.”
“Either way, I think you’re crazy, but I respect your commitment. Someday, maybe I’ll want to know more,” said Jace as he left the room.
The darker it is, the more the light stands out. God may allow times of ridicule and even persecution in your life to help you grow more like Jesus Christ, and to help you shine brightly in your witnessing. Paul endured times of severe trial in his life but looked at them as opportunities to be filled with strength far greater than his own—God’s strength. Can you, like the apostle, use the word delight to describe your reaction to difficulties? When you’re facing a trial, you can expect God to make you strong enough to serve Him in the midst of it.
Wait before God for the strength you need to face each new day.
Paul Zinter serves as a substitute teacher. He enjoys writing, bread making, and teaching at his local church.
