“ …but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 3:3-5.
Have you ever heard of the boll weevil beetle?
In the early 1900s, this ugly little bug almost single-handedly financially crushed the city of Enterprise, Alabama. The boll weevil feeds on cotton buds. Cotton was the primary cash crop for Southern Alabama at this time, and Enterprise was struggling. In two years, their cotton production had dropped 90 percent!
A small group of farmers in Enterprise decided they needed to try something different. Instead of focusing on the boll weevil, they switched to a new crop. Peanuts. In just a few years, Enterprise became the largest producer of peanuts in the country, leading to tremendous economic prosperity. The cotton farmers found great reasons to celebrate what was an economic tragedy and a desperate situation. In fact, today, there is even a monument in Enterprise dedicated to the pesky pest!
From tragedy to celebration. From suffering to spiritual growth.
God has a way of transforming our hardships into opportunities to let us watch Him work.
Romans 5:3-5 says, “ …but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
It is hard to even think about celebrating when we are in the middle of suffering. But these verses remind us that God uses our suffering to transform us into the likeness of Christ. God wants us to grow in endurance, character, and hope. He wants us to know His love in a brand-new way.
Imagine the cotton farmers’ frustration when dealing with the boll weevils. Yet, after a few years, they rejoiced in their suffering because of what it had produced!
Now, suffering and rejoicing don’t usually appear in the same sentence. But Romans 5 reminds us that we have all we need through Jesus, and that even through our suffering, God is producing a tremendous blessing to those who are followers of Christ.
Remember that God is at work when you are walking through a difficult season. He might be opening another door (like growing peanuts!). Or even if your challenging season continues, you can trust that God is at work in and through you.
God finishes what He starts.
He is at work in your suffering.
Get ready to celebrate!
Taken from a sermon by George Wright, Senior Pastor, Shades Mountain Baptist Church
