Diamonds or Coal Dust?
External pressure turns coal either into diamonds or coal dust.
A diamond is the strongest naturally occurring substance on earth. When cut and polished, it reflects light from every facet. A skilled diamond cutter may choose to shatter a diamond, but he or she only creates more diamonds. In contrast, coal dust blackens everything. When inhaled, it stays in the lungs forever. Long-term exposure causes black lung disease in coal miners.
What’s true of coal is true for Christians.
On this journey we all will face tough times. Sometimes life squeezes us so hard our souls bleed. Yet some Christians become God’s diamonds, while others crumble into dust. Why?
Why does one Christian grow more Christ-like under pressure, while another Christian, facing the same circumstances, falls into bitterness?
It comes down to both our spiritual understanding and our choices.
Two Responses
There are many external pressures facing us in this world Illness, worry, financial woes, unemployment, disrupted relationships, unexpected death—the path a Christian walks can be painful. We experience the same heartbreaks and sorrows unbelievers do.
Life is often messy.
I’ve seen some Christians face life’s difficulties with amazing faith and peace. I’ve also seen believers who turn their back on God, becoming disillusioned, bitter and defeated.
Sometimes that defeat comes from wrong teaching.
Walking on Thin Ice
Some of my brothers and sisters have been taught to believe an emotional fantasy. They believe that because they’re His children, God will protect them from all hurtful circumstances.
Sorry, but that’s a lie.
Christians have been martyred throughout history. Even our Biblical heroes and heroines often suffered fear, famine, infertility, exile, imprisonment, beatings and the early death of a spouse.
But unfortunately, no contrary evidence shakes this deception. The fantasy of a pain-free life is just too appealing. Even you or I can temporarily fall into this error. When tragedy strikes, we sometimes think,
It’s not fair! I’ve been serving You faithfully, Lord. How could You let this terrible thing happen to us?
This false belief becomes like a thin coating of ice over a deep lake. As long as the ice supports our weight, we’re happy Christ-followers. But when the ice cracks and plunges us into the icy water of tragedy or heartbreak, our faith crumbles.
Some Christians feel betrayed by God and turn away, never learning to draw upon His strength for support and comfort. Others lean in, saying brokenly,
This is so painful. I confused, Lord—why is this happening to me? But I trust You God. Please help me.
Becoming one of God’s Diamonds
Do you want your suffering to count?
I do.
More than anything, I want to become one of God’s diamonds–a tough, resilient Christian, who sparkles with reflected light.
Christians who are being formed into diamonds share some key characteristics.
1) A strong belief in God’s sovereignty. Like Joseph, these Christians believe all their life’s circumstances are in the Almighty’s hand. So they trust Him with the outcome.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!
7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.[
8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.
(Genesis 45:4,7-8 NIV)
Joseph saw his Master’s hand in every evil thing that had happened to him–slavery, imprisonment, betrayal–and believed the One he served stayed beside him, even in the deepest pit.
2) They remain faithful, even in the darkest places. People being compressed into diamonds draw close to God when in high-pressure situations. They continue to serve Him–even just by prayer and kindness to others. Joseph remained loyal, hard-working and trustworthy in Egypt. So God gave him favor with each of his earthly masters.
3) They battle their feelings–and win. Fear starts to surge in and they declare, “Lord, I trust You–You’ve got this.” Self-pity gets stomped on. Their emotions aren’t allowed to dictate their actions, their words or their thinking. It’s truly a battle, but one worth fighting.
Christians aren’t formed into God’s diamonds by external pressure only, but by the pressure of our inward response to tough times. We grow in Christ-likeness by choosing to act in a godly way—even when we don’t want to.
I downloaded these images from Pixabay.com.
