He Can Turn Our Pain into a Pearl

 

 

There’s a legend from the Middle East in which a sultan had his grand scribe compile a history of the human race. The scribe worked for ten years, and when the task was finally accomplished he went to the Sultan with 100 donkeys loaded down 500 years of historic lore. When the sultan saw this mountain of material, he was very displeased. He wanted something more accessible, so he told the historian to reduce the amount of material. The scholar went back to work, and returned a year later with ten volumes of revised history. It was still too much for the sultan to read. He finally told the historian that he wanted to be able to read the work in one afternoon. The scholar then went off into a corner of the throne room and scribbled something onto a sheet of paper. He returned and handed it to the sultan, who read these words, “They were born, they suffered, they died.”

 

They were born, they suffered, they died. Is that the whole story? No doubt life is difficult but you cannot leave out the presence of the One who gives strength for each moment of life. We can learn from the oyster who one day discovers a tiny grain of sand in its shell. Grumbling about it and rebelling won’t do any good, for after all the protests and complaints, the grain of sand would still be there. No, the oyster recognizes the intruder’s presence, and right away begins to do something. Slowly and patiently, with infinite care, the oyster builds upon the grain of sand—layer after layer of a plastic, milky substance that covers each sharp corner and coats every cutting edge, and gradually, slowly, a pear is made. A thing of wondrous beauty wrapped around trouble. The oyster has learned by God’s will, to turn grains of sand into pearls, cruel misfortunes into blessings, pain and distress into beauty.

 

The power of the Holy Spirit was set loose and gives us strength to endure whatever comes our way. Paul puts it this way, “All things are possible through Christ who strengthens me… In this world you will have much tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world… Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength, they will mount up with wings of an eagle, they say run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Luther puts it this way, “Did we in our own strength confide. Our striving would be losing. But now a champion comes to fight, whom God Himself elected. Ask who this may be: Lord of hosts is he! Christ Jesus our lord, God’s only Son, adored. He holds the field victorious.”

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley