Join me as I consider multiple insights from Oswald Chambers and Timothy Keller concerning how God works in the seasons of suffering and grief in our lives. The underlying assumption for this post is that God is working in our lives: the good times, bad times, and especially in seasons of difficulty. We daily choose what we believe about ourselves and circumstances.
Sources
The purpose of this post is to discuss and examine various quotes from Chambers and Keller for educational, non-profit purposes. I recommend that you read the online devotional https://utmost.org/the-teaching-of-disillusionment/ and consider purchasing Pastor’s Keller’s book Walking with God through Pain and Suffering. There are numerous helpful thoughts and concepts for your growth and encouragement within this book. Quotes are available at:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/24678714-walking-with-god-through-pain-and-suffering
Disillusionment
Chambers refers to disillusionment as being part of the process through which God frees us from the deceptions of life.
Why disillusionment?
Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions.
However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others.
The Teaching of Disillusionment
Do we see others as they are or as we hope that will be? When we realize that others will inevitably disappoint us, do we become harsh and distant? This is a personal struggle that I face in encouragement ministry. Often people won’t respond or put forth effort into communicating. It’s like a one way street that one walks alone. Honestly, it’s the number one reason I consider giving up on this endeavor.
Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life.
The Teaching of Disillusionment
Keller approaches this concept as well:
“The problem is that contemporary people think life is all about finding happiness.
We decide what conditions will make us happy and then we work to bring those conditions about.
To live for happiness means that you are trying to get something out of life.
Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, pg 129
This means that we are walking through life for a pursuit of happiness. We attempt to “define” what makes us happy and strive for such things. Perhaps this is a good paying job or career? Maybe a family, home, or successful business?
The danger comes when a persons seeks to be happy apart from God and His Kingdom. One way that God speaks to us is through grief and suffering. If God is truly loving, would He allow us to pursue something that leads us away from Him? If suffering and failures lead us closer to God, might there be something greater going on in our lives?
When we lose someone or something that we value through death or failure(s), God reminds us that all relationships and things of this world are temporal. Our purpose and meaning can become too world-centered until we realize the fragile nature of all things created!
But when suffering comes along, it takes the conditions for happiness away, and so suffering destroys all your reason to keep living.
Ibid, pg 120
Is God preparing us for something better? Disillusionment is God’s way of breaking our misconceptions and illusions. Are we seeing each other through the lens of grace, mercy, and compassion?
Oswald Chambers, The Teaching of Disillusionment
Notice that Chambers references “all or nothing” type of thinking. In this flawed understanding, we label and place people into categories. These categories define people and impact our thinking and actions toward them. What if our ideas about others are wrong or biased toward negativity? Are we relating to others with compassion, kindness, understanding, and empathy? Grace or judgment? Assumption built on previous bad experiences, or seeking truth?
Living for Meaning and Purpose in God
But to “live for meaning” means not that you try to get something out of life but rather that life expects something from us.
In other words, you have meaning only when there is something in life more important than your own personal freedom and happiness, something for which you are glad to sacrifice your happiness.
Ibid, pg 129
What is the meaning of life? What is our main purpose as Christ’s followers? I explain this in detail:
What Really Matters In Life?
Redeemed to Serve: Our Purpose
Our Illusion of Control
“When pain and suffering come upon us, we finally see not only that we are not in control of our lives but that we never were.”
Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
This is a daily choice: to live and strive for our own happiness in a world that will pass away or to place ourselves in God’s presence trusting Him to walk with us through our sorrows, grief, loss, and struggles. We have the opportunity to trust or to try to control, manipulate. etc. Who is in control of your life? Sometimes we would rather try to control things/people in place of submitting ourselves to the One who is in control.
Do we live through fear and worldly sorrow or in a hopeful expectation that God will redeem us and deliver us to Himself? Our grief and sorrow refine us in God’s presence as He molds and shapes us.
Is God walking with you through our present “fires” of grief? Are you seeking Him in the dark moments?
Understanding our “true” nature and idols
Keller explains this:
“You will never really understand your heart when things are going well.
It is only when things go badly that you can see it truly.
And that’s because it is only when suffering comes that you realize who is the true God and what are the false gods of your lives.”
Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
The truth about us as human beings with a sinful nature is that we will find or create “idols” to serve. We lead ourselves astray seeking idols such as personal happiness, wealth, success, health, etc. This is the condition of the human soul apart from God.
Facing grief and loss reminds us Whom the True God is if we seek truth in Him and His Word. Pastor Keller helps us to identify Whom we trust and follow in dark seasons:
Only the true God can go with you through that furnace and out to the other side. The other gods will abandon you in the furnace.”
Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
Our beliefs and experiences can be detrimental to our spiritual journeys. What we believe and the manner in which we view our circumstances impacts us. Why do people become harsh, judgmental, and critical of others? Why are we slow to trust and engage with others?
People become harsh and bitter due to past hurts, unresolved conflicts, and losses that haven’t been grieved/accepted. Consider what Jesus faced in His ministry. He healed people on the Sabbath; consequently, the “religious” leaders (they) opposed Him. They maliciously slandered Him. When He freed people from demons, they claimed He was a demon Himself. He brought Lazarus and others back from death; they became determined to kill Him. He spoke truth and grace, they tried to trick and entrap Him numerous times. He proclaimed forgiveness over judgment; they rejected Him and persecuted anyone who would accept Him.
The religious leaders had their beliefs and conception(s) of whom the messiah would be and Jesus clearly didn’t fit their conceptional framework. Are we similar when it comes to others? We expect and hope for the best, but then are disappointed when it doesn’t work out according to our desires. We wonder why and start to close off our hearts to others because we are hurting.
This process plays itself out over a course of a lifetime. As time marches forward, the human heart becomes jaded and hardened to others. We close ourselves off and strive at all costs to protect ourselves from ever being “hurt” again. Community and vulnerability become impossible because of the belief that others will only use, manipulate, or deceive us again. Our own desire to be “safe” keeps us isolated and separated when it becomes a core belief.
Jesus shows us a better way and He gives us His Truths and Presence through Holy Spirit to guide us. Consider that Jesus never despairs. He confronts the lies with truth, but He doesn’t kill His enemies while on earth. He endures and humbles Himself to face death on the cross knowing that He was sinless and innocent. Chambers describes Jesus:
Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter.
The Teaching of Disillusionment
The most amazing thing about Jesus is that “He was never suspicious or bitter” in the sense that we are. He forgave those who brutally murdered Him. How is this even possible?
This is possible when a person has confidence in God’s grace! Jesus knew His Father and His purpose. Jesus was faithful to His call and God’s plan for His life, death, and resurrection. May we found to be faithful!
What are your thoughts on this subject? If this post is helpful for you, then share it with others. Any thing that you might want to add to this discussion?
Words of Grace & Hope 