Over the years some of the loveliest, kindest and most generous people I have met have stories which shock and amaze me. As I listen to their journey I discover their lives are littered with so much suffering and heart ache. And yet somehow there is a sweetness to their spirit, a joy in their heart which hides the pain. Sadly, the opposite is also true. Every now and again I meet someone who has suffered at the hands of someone they love and understandably they are hurt. But years, decades later their souls is still trapped in a spiral of bitterness and hate. Somehow they have not found a way through the hurt to forgiveness.
What is the difference? Why can one person move on while another person appears to stagnate? Why do some find forgiveness and others live with bitterness?
My sermon text this morning is from 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8. In it Paul mentions briefly the suffering he faced before arriving in Thessalonica. Out of an intense and hurtful situation Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica. While I was studying this text I couldn’t help but hear so much of my own story (as an aside, I am tired of this bible thing speaking to me while I prepare sermons 
). As some of you would be aware, I came to my current church having “previously suffered and been treated outrageously”. There were times when I honestly thought what had happened to me was going to swallow me whole. But God was faithful. He was faithful to Paul when he brought him to Thessalonica and he is faithful to you in the midst of your own pain and suffering!
We all have stories of hurt and pain. What took place before Paul arrived in Thessalonica shaped Paul. Perhaps it changed his mind or solidified in him what faithful Christ shaped ministry looked like. I know the best pastors I have had are people who have been through pain and suffering and made their way through to forgiveness. The difficult times we face, the suffering and the hardships can either form us for Jesus or cause us to harden our hearts to a point where we shut God out altogether!
At the start I spoke about two types of people who have faced much suffering and heartache. Those who come through the hurt with their heart intact and a sweet spirit and those whose hearts become bitter and their spirit is left broken. Let me tell you, until a few years ago I was on my way to being in the second group of people.
One night I was watching TV with some friends. A story came on about a well-known mega-church pastor. At some point in the story he said something and I exploded. For my friends it must have been like watching a human fireworks display. I had erupted. I knew something wasn’t right.
What caught me off guard was I had only met this minister on a couple of occasions. I didn’t really know him nor did I attend his church. Why had this man at this time provoked such a strong response in me?
Well, it wasn’t his fault. For far too long I had been carrying much bitterness and hate from pain and suffering at the hand of another church. Later that week I was at church praying when it all fell into place. It became clear to me why I had reacted. At that moment I had a choice; I could either give it to God or hold on to it. Fortunately for me, for you and most importantly for my wife and kids I gave it to God.
Many years ago I read a quote which said, “The flower which blooms in the midst of adversity is the most beautiful of them all” Here’s the truth; flowers do not just bloom. There are conditions required in order for any plant to grow, even those which grow in the midst of adversity! In this text Paul provides us with a model of how to move forward and his advice has been helpful for me! May I leave you with a few bits of advice to help get or keep the conditions right so that the flower of your soul might bloom despite adverse conditions:
- Let go. Personally, even many years later I still have to make a daily decision to let go. Every day I want justice and every day I must decide to let God.
- Talk with someone. Allow someone to help you through the pain – a friend or a counsellor.
- Keep Jesus at the centre and do not shut him out. Prayer and Scripture are the ways in which we keep Jesus at the centre.
- Be honest with God about the way you feel – especially when you are angry with him! It is why God gave us the Psalms!
