How many of you as kids heard your parents or another responsible adult warn you, “You’re just asking for trouble?”
It was a not-so-subtle warning that whatever we were engaging in as kids (or adults?) was not going to end well, and this was our last chance to make a better decision.
I’m obviously familiar with the statement, however, I have conveniently forgotten any details that might have accompanied that word of warning.
Relax. I’m not going to ask you to conjure up your own memories around this caution.
But recently, that familiar warning popped into my mind in a completely different context, prompting me to ask myself the same question.
As most of you are aware, one of the main themes of my grief ministry is how God does his best and most permanent work through our trials.
The intention, of course, is to provide a glimmer of hope to those who are struggling through difficult times. Something they can cling to when everything around them looks dark.
I don’t often invoke the text of Romans 8:28, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose, when I’m talking with someone who is going through a devastating loss.
I believe in the truth of the text 100%, but I also believe there’s time and place for sharing it with someone who may be angry at God or questioning his goodness.
So back to the context of this current question-posing.
I have often experienced firsthand exactly what that theme in bold suggests. My most permanent lessons, my greatest growth in my faith, my most profound understanding of who God is, and even my deepest gratitude have come through the hardest seasons of my life…after I’ve seen how God has redeemed those hard days.
Not only that, but I’ve seen similar effects on the scores of people whose paths I’ve crossed as they navigated their own seasons of grief. Countless books have been written on this topic. My favorite of which is, “If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil” by Randy Alcorn.
If suffering is one of the ways we see God more clearly and become more like Christ, why don’t we ask God for trouble? Shouldn’t we desire all that amazing growth, even if it means suffering precedes it?
Well, the answer from most of us, myself included, is that we don’t want to suffer. Personally, I don’t want to go through hard times. I don’t want pain or anguish or heartbreak or any of the difficulties that showed up after the Fall in the Garden of Eden.
Suffering wasn’t part of God’s original perfect plan. The Garden of Eden was literally Paradise. Something none of us have experienced in our own lives. But, ultimately, that kind of perfection is what he wants for us.
So, I don’t think it’s necessarily wrong to cherish our good seasons, or to ask God to protect us from trials. He is a God who loves to give good gifts to his children (Matt. 7:11).
But the reality of this world is that we will all go through dark seasons. The critical question becomes, “How do we respond when trouble blindsides us?
Eventually, and with God’s love, kindness, and patience, we can land on the truth of Romans 8:28.
Not only can we grow through those difficulties, but we can be a powerful witness for the Gospel when those around us wonder how we could possibly still see God through the hard times.
What’s the “correct” answer to my title question? I think that’s something each of us needs to decide for ourselves.
One thing I can tell you is that if you pray this prayer, “Dear God, please help me to become more like Christ” (or any number of “improvements), you may, in fact, be asking for trouble!
And I am sure of this,
that he who began a good work in you
will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6