What You See

January 31, 2023

A prison is not where we would normally go for encouragement. Encouragement is usually given from a place of relative comfort. Effective encouragers usually have been through difficulties themselves, but are somewhat distanced from it at the moment they are offering comfort to another. This is not always the case however. 

Paul wrote his letter to the Philippian Christians from a Roman prison. It wasn’t a pleasant place to be, but there isn’t a hint of complaint to be found in his letter. The only time he mentions his current situation, he tells how being in jail has given him opportunity to witness to his faith in Jesus and how he hopes his imprisonment will encourage others to be bold in their faith. Philippians is one of the most joyful books of the Bible, ending with the words, “Rejoice in the Lord; again I say rejoice.”

The apostle John wrote the Revelation while exiled on a small rocky island in the Aegean. Tradition tells us he was boiled in oil and somehow survived. So here is aged, scarred John penning his vision of the end times when violence and suffering and persecution increase exponentially. But there isn’t even a hint of dejection. His words soar with songs of praise and worship, of joy and hope.

John Bunyan was imprisoned in the Bedford jail for twelve years for preaching the Gospel. During this time he wrote two books, “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners,” and “Pilgrim’s Progress,” two of the most influential Christian books since the Bible itself. 

Bad circumstances don’t have to lead to a bad mood, depression, or anger. The biggest factor in life is not our circumstances, but our response to them. What is inside us is far more important than what surrounds us. Too often, we react to circumstances instead of responding to them. There is a world of difference. When we take medication for an illness, we hope our bodies respond to the medicine. We don’t want them to react to it. 

I’ve known people with big problems who exhibit great joy and optimism, and I’ve known others with minuscule problems who complain and whine their way through life. 

There is a story of a little girl who was promised a pony for her birthday. When her parents took her to the farm, the first thing she saw was a huge pile of manure. She grabbed a shovel and began to energetically attack the pile. Her father asked what she was doing, and she replied, “As big as this pile is, there has to be a pony in there!” Most people would see the pile; she saw the pony. That’s the kind of faith I admire. It’s the kind of faith I desire.