It’s hard to believe that the sighs of the breadwinners weighed down by the burden of providing for their families are being heard when every day seems to be just the same.
I came from a broken home where the realities of life have been introduced to me at an early age. My parents were barely able to make ends meet for the family but the circumstances that came along with it which led my siblings and I to live far away from each other hurt me the most. It seemed unfair to be the most affected by a decision that we were too young to understand and prepare ourselves for. That one fateful day scattered our seven-member family and we haven't had consistent communication with each other since.
We were very fortunate to be taken care of, although separately, by relatives and grandparents who loved us as their own. Even so, that didn’t excuse us from having difficulties financially. After finishing high school, I went to college as a working student. There was a season when I was serving in the school canteen and library on my free hours while striving to be present in my classes. I worked as a tutor and was also able to make extra cash out of sewing curtains from my aunt’s business to pay for my tuition until I graduated. As an eldest child, I felt the need to work harder and be responsible in order to help with the daily needs of the family.
Back then, I did not find my troubles and hardships to be meaningful. To me, every day is just another survival episode that I needed to face until God, in His saving grace, caused me to find life in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It takes a lot of submission to understand His Lordship over my life since it was hard for me to grasp the thought that God sees me and loves me yet allows me to go through such pain.
I am, of course, thankful that God has loved me, and has sent Christ to save me from the eternal suffering brought by my sins. I also want to emphasize how this gospel changed the way I perceived my present struggles as a breadwinner, how it fuels me to live everyday with hope and how it gives rest when days become too heavy and exhausting.
Over the years, I have found these truths to be comforting and encouraging, pointing me to look on the eternal realities as I battle with life’s hurdles as a breadwinner.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into his grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, 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. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5
Our fragile life is at peace with God.
Because of the presence of sin and death, we are living in a broken world where our lives have become frail and in distress. Our mind and body easily get tired. Calamities or disasters are present. There is always conflict between men or society. Above all, we are enemies of a Holy God because of our rebellion. But because of Christ, in which by His death appeased the anger of the Father, we enjoy the reconciled relationship with our Creator.
When the present situation is overwhelming, it is good to be reminded of the peace that Christ has brought between us and God. Oh how uplifting it is to know that we can come to the throne of grace without the fear of being rejected or condemned. We can now confidently come to God carrying our burdens and sins, appealing to Him our requests and thanksgiving and asking for forgiveness and supplications.
Our sufferings are not in vain through the work of the Holy Spirit.
One of the hardest lessons I have to learn as a Christian is how to rejoice in the midst of sufferings. My siblings and I had always lived with our relatives and grandparents after my parents sold our house and both went in separate ways. It would be a joy to go home on one roof, share meals together and be present on special occasions. But that remains to be part of my prayers as I am still a long way from being able to support the needs of my siblings’ schooling and the monthly medical expenses of my father.
With all of this yearning in my heart and the sore reality being the exact opposite, it is always easy to be disheartened. God’s Word encourages us to feel and think otherwise.
Paul presents our suffering as a means to rejoice. How? How do we rejoice when what we are experiencing does not call us to be glad? It is in understanding that there is a God who preserves our life dearly and in believing that God, in His wisdom, purposely gives these trials for our good.
These trials produce steadfastness in us as He continues to mold our character into Christ-likeness. This kind of mindset can only be achieved when we have faith in the one who works all things for the good and for the glory of His name. We are not to depend on our own strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit who teaches, comforts and helps us become fruitful. (Romans 15:13) This hope that we have in Christ will not put us to shame.
Our ultimate hope is in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“The final goal of Jesus’ earthly ministry was not the cross or even the resurrection. The ultimate goal is His final return and the consummation of His kingdom” - R.C. Sproul
What excites me during sermons is when the preachers speak about the second coming of Christ. This is because it turns my eyes away from my short-sighted ambitions which include the desires of being able to sustain my family with their every material and financial need. Not that these are sinful but sometimes they tend to blur my sight and take over my priorities forgetting that the “best” future that I can ever hope for for me and my family is eternity with Jesus.
At the same time, preaching about Christ’s return excites this groaning and longing soul. His promise of putting an end to our sufferings and forever reigning in glory is a truth so assuring that makes every hardship that I face today pale in comparison.
You are not alone!
I am blessed that God has placed me in a church where I am constantly being reminded of these truths. It is humbling to have people, whom I never imagined meeting, rejoice, celebrate, weep and hope with me. We are not called to run this race alone but rather we are to share this life’s battles in a community that loves and cares like family. I encourage you, if you have none yet, to find a church that preaches and reflects the gospel truths in their lives.
Tribulations will always be present but the fact that Christ has already destroyed our life’s biggest threat - sin - assures us that we will always come through. Our deepest sighs are seen and heard by our God. And even when every day seems to be the same, we know from His Word that He is there, sustaining us to endure while also giving us the assurance that we can always ever run to Him to rest.
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Member of MCF-Cebu
[A month ago, Mizo’s father passed away leaving her and her four younger siblings. They have not heard from their mother since the separation almost twenty years ago. This article was drafted early this year but now has become a warm encouragement for the family as they go through the season of mourning and as Mizo welcomes the responsibility of being the sole breadwinner of the family. In joy and in pain, may the Name of Christ be magnified!]
