Vaccinations

Read 1 Peter 4:12-19

Text:

12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And,
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"[a]
19So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. (NIV)

Footnotes:

1 Peter 4:18 Prov. 11:31

taken from www.biblegateway.com

The longer I'm a parent, the more insight I get into a tiny part of God's world. As the Father, he must share the same frustrations, joys, disappointments, and laughs that we receive as parents.

I struggled with verse 19, where Peter says we will suffer according to God's will. God tells us he's a loving Father, so why would he want us to suffer?

When I look at the same verse from a parents' perspective, though, it's more clear. No, I don't particularly want my children to suffer, but there are times when I know they must for their own good. Vaccinations, for instance. I willingly take my children into a strange environment and allow them to feel physical pain, seemingly for no reason from their perspective. They never really know why, because they are spared the ravages of the disease that could have infected them.

How is God vaccinating you? Are you in a place (physically, emotionally, or spiritually) that seems strange to you? Is there some painful event you are going through? We may never understand what this suffering prevented in our lives until we get to Heaven. But faith is knowing what we cannot see -- God asks us to know that he has our best interest in mind when we go through trials. We just have to learn to pay attention to difficulties that are no fault of our own and look for the lessons God wants to teach us.