As I write, we are experiencing what, for us in England, is an extreme heat event. In many countries, our current temperatures are commonplace, but with dry heat – here in the UK, it usually comes with increased humidity, making it barely tolerable. Not to mention that we aren’t used to such temperatures; they are a shock to the system. For us here, such events are uncommon and infrequent.
Idyllic
During typical summers, we often find ourselves wishing it were warmer – and drier. The UK is generally known for its rain! Then we also experience the opposite phenomenon during the winter; not extreme cold, but periods when the temperature may linger around 0 degrees for several days. We tend to be equipped for this much better than for high temperatures, though. But, there are also days when the climate is just right, where sitting in a beautiful garden or park, or going for a walk in the morning, is idyllic.
Goldilocks
This reminds me of the fairy tale of Goldilocks and the three bears, and in particular, the incident with the porridge. Goldilocks discovered that the bears had left three bowls of hot porridge to cool a little and, being hungry, proceeded to help herself. In doing so, she found that one bowl was too hot, another, too cool, but the third was just right. In our lives, we cherish the Goldilocks moments, those times when the balance of circumstances is comfortable and enjoyable, pleasurable. The difficulty, though, is that those times when everything feels good are infrequent, similarly to when planets are in alignment – something that is only experienced occasionally. We are delighted when this occurs, but it isn’t our normal situation.
Rarity
There are many different things in play within our lives, climatic conditions being but one of these, any of which can disturb our equilibrium if they are troublesome to us. The temperature is the prominent consideration in my current experience, but another time it could be my sense of fulfilment, satisfaction with the work I am doing, family concerns, disturbed relationships or frustrations within the church community. Other people may be dealing with financial pressures, marital tensions, concerns about their role in life or feeling that their hopes have been dashed. We are complex beings whose lives are multidimensional. It shouldn’t be surprising if Goldilocks moments seem to be few and far between, something of a rarity.
Reliant
But then, we need to ask ourselves whether we should expect anything different. I am not saying this in terms of our sense of self-worth, suggesting that you or I don’t deserve better, but rather that we need to consider God’s plan and purpose. There are two aspects to this that we should recognise. Firstly, the story of Genesis suggests that life was originally intended to be straightforward and that it was only because of mankind’s willful sin that God needed to complicate things for us, as a way of constraining our inclinations (Genesis 3). We see this through our forebears’ expulsion from the Garden of Eden and again with the Tower of Babel, where language became fractured and diverse (Genesis 11:1-9). God’s actions were intended to constrain our wilfulness and cause us to be more reliant upon him as well as upon each other.
Resistance
The second aspect of God’s plan for us is that we learn to find our purpose in him, embracing any constraints that he places upon our lives. It is our natural inclination to resist these, but I wonder if, in doing so, we may also be resisting God. There are certainly some things that we shouldn’t accept, but those are limitations that are placed upon us by the world, or maybe even the Evil One. Surely, God stands with us when we fight any of these, but not if we resist those things that he himself places in our way.
Elation
Someone will ask how we can know which is which; a very reasonable, logical and appropriate question. I suggest that the answer has similar attributes – we ask God. At the beginning of 2 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul tells us about “…. visions and revelations of the Lord” (v2) that he had received. For Paul, this represented a time of elation; we might almost say a Goldilocks moment. But then he goes on to explain, in verse seven: “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh…”. Note that he refers to this impediment being given to him for godly purposes. We must surely assume that this means that it was God who at least permitted that he should receive this, even though he goes on to refer to this thorn as a “messenger of Satan to harass me…”. We should note that Satan doesn’t intentionally do things in furtherance of God’s purpose; he normally does the opposite, but Paul’s thorn was God’s will for him.
Acceptance
What did Paul do about this affliction? We see in verse eight that he pleaded with the Lord for it to be taken from him. It was a problem for Paul personally, and very likely an apparent obstacle to what he saw as his ministry. God’s response was to remind him that his grace will be sufficient and that his power is made perfect in our weakness. Having asked three times before having a settled answer, Paul fully accepts what God has said about his ‘thorn’ and rejoices in the limitation because it was for his benefit, writing: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (v9)
Paul provides us with a huge clue as to how God works, namely, that the power of God is not channelled through human strength but through our limitations. God does not augment our prowess, like the icing on a cake. Rather, our strength is an obstacle; it prevents God’s power from moving in and through us. Our weaknesses, on the other hand, provide a channel for God to work, showing his power and authority and bringing all the glory to him.
Power
God is so good in providing us with occasional Goldilocks moments to revel in, but this isn’t the norm, and neither should we expect it to be. God is shaping and moulding us to become the people he has made us to be; those who truly seek to live for him and to function through his power at work within us. To him be the glory, amen.
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