John 16:17, 20-22 (NIV) 17Some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father' 20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
I Peter 1:3-7 (NIV) 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.6In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ
Truly positive people whose faith has been tested by fire bring real hope and joy, not a bright optimism that is little more than wishful thinking. This realness is seen in broken hearts and shattered pride that allows for the discovery of deeper levels of God’s love and grace. Jesus’ promise of joy is made to those who now have sorrow, and that is where Jesus parts company with positive people who stubbornly want joy without sorrow.
If we are prone to the positive outlook are we also willing to face the fire? The normal hardships, suffering, and losses that come our way? A dark night of the soul often looks and feels like depression and despair in which we feel forsaken and completely abandoned. These dark nights can be a kind of persecution or an awakening to our real weaknesses. There is a sense of being stripped down to the bare essentials, having nothing that we can count on or rely on any more, including the people we love.
Jesus says we will have problems and pain. We will suffer, but these things cannot take away our joy. The promise of joy that Jesus offers does not come by our trying to keep our chin up no matter how dark and difficult life becomes. His joy comes as we are willing to face the unpleasant, painful, foreboding parts of life. His joy comes as we face those things in life we do not want to face and yet do so with a confidence in Jesus and a willingness to walk through that darkness and difficulty with Him.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope September 29, 1991
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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