To begin his classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens penned the immortal words: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Was Dickens indulging in an overstated contradiction? Hardly. Life is both sweet and sour...simultaneously. As someone else has said, "life is like licking honey off a thorn."
Some time ago I was tasting the "sweet savor" of a great year. It was the best of times in that our FamilyLife Conferences were growing rapidly. At the same time, I was stretched thin by the adversary. Pressure. Attacks. Seemingly insurmountable problems. The worst of times.
Then, as Barbara and I were beginning to get our strengths back, we learned she was pregnant...again...and it was not planned, at least not by us. It would mean that, in God's sovereign and loving will, we'd have six children ages 10 and under. The best of times?
Then came that day when God really got our attentions. Barbara walked into our bedroom and fell on the bed complaining that her heart was beating too fast. As we sped to the hospital, a hundred thoughts flashed through my mind. Praying for Barbara, I wondered how quickly the doctors would be able to slow her heart. Would I soon be saying good-bye to the woman I loved and be left alone to raise five children?
Are these the worst of times? No! Not for a Christian. For even death-the selfish, cursed enemy of man-has been "swallowed up in victory" (1 Cor. 15:54). Even tribulations, the Scriptures tell us, produce hope (see Rom. 5:3,4, above).
But I don't like this way of producing hope, I thought as our van rounded the corner to the hospital. We don't need this right now.
Fascinating, isn't it, how quickly our lives can be reduced to a simple faith in God. I've wondered on more than one occasion if God doesn't shake His head at how slow we are to realize we are not in control!