In C. S. Lewis’ book God in the
Dock, he wrote: “Imagine a set of people all living in the same building. Half
of them think it is a hotel, the other half think it is a prison. Those who
think it a hotel might regard it as quite intolerable, and those who thought it
was a prison might decide that it was really surprisingly comfortable.” Lewis
cleverly used this contrast between a hotel and a prison to illustrate how we
view life based on our expectations. He says, “If you think of this world as a
place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable; think
of it as a place of training and correction and it’s not so bad.”
Sometimes we expect that life
should be happy and pain-free. But that is not what the Bible teaches. For the
believer, this world is a place of spiritual development through both good
times and bad. Jesus was realistic when He explained what to expect in life. He
told His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). In facing life’s blessings and
bruises, we can have the inner peace that God is orchestrating events according
to His sovereign plan.
Christ’s presence in our lives
enables us to “be of good cheer” even in the midst of pain.
In
the midst of troubles, peace can be found in God. (RBC)
