In a Fiery Kiln

Scripture References: Jeremiah 4:19, Acts 26:23

Nemesis was the goddess Greeks assigned to visit the good fortunes of men with the reverses their sins demanded. From the cradle to the grave, humanity lives in a fiery kiln of adversity. Even if we are not under constant stress, our mortality mocks us. The English had enjoyed an enviable reign of victory until they fought the Revolution. Then, the victory that seemed within reach always eluded the next general and military campaign. American troops, considered unworthy of contesting a battlefield with British regulars, had a maddening way of fighting them to a standstill. In 1780, Horace Walpole tried to put all the anxiety, pessimism, and division in perspective. “One cannot be always in the year 1759,” he wrote, “and have victories fresh for every post-day.”

No, one cannot.

Not even the world’s greatest atomic powers can defeat every foe they face. America learned that lesson in Viet Nam. The Russians, far less restrained than we in warring ferociously, found it true in Afghanistan. Defeat is as much a part of life as victory; failure as much a part as success. Adversity is inevitable. Through our mother’s agony we come into the world, and in the matrix of suffering we live. Yet, as our Lord’s own sufferings proved, enduring trials should make us stronger and overcoming them should give us confidence for the future.

Courtesy of Speaker’s Sourcebook of New Illustrations by Virgil Hurley © 1995 by Word, Incorporated.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved.