Have you heard this expression "Technology brings us closer to the ones far away and takes us away from the closest ones" or this other one "Cheap ends up expensive" or this one that I really like "Good is never easy, easy is never good"? These expressions are called paradoxes. What's a paradox?
Phrase or fact that seems contrary to logic.
Let me tell you about an unforgettable experience that we lived a few years ago as a family. It was in one of BQ's best international finals, (at least it was for our family and our church at the time). Our only TBQ team won 1st place, yes, 1st place!! Honestly, all the finalist teams were very good. But that year it was our turn to win. It was a unique experience! We learned a very valuable lesson but not of the triumph achieved, but of what came after that triumph...
On Tuesday when we were on the road, we encountered a lot of traffic. It turns out, there was a big accident several kilometers ahead and there was no way of going through. So, we backtracked and took a much longer road. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it to our homes in time, so we had to stay in a hotel halfway.
The next morning, we woke up with the bad news that there was no water... and well, there were many other details that are not worth describing now, but in a few words, we were descending more and more from the mountain to the valley.
That morning before heading out, our pastor’s wife tells us, "Sons this is how God treats his champions..., the world praises them and even idolizes them, but in God, it is necessary to be humiliated to be exalted!" oh what great teaching! That day we had a devotional full of God's presence and we will remember that experience as something very special in our hearts. Medals and trophies are stored somewhere, get a little dusty, and forgotten; but the lessons we learned those days will remain in our hearts for the rest of our lives.
On the walk with God, there are many "paradoxes". In fact, the bible is full of them, we find from expressions such as "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations" (Jam.1:2), or “I say unto you, that if the grain of wheat does not fall into the earth and die, it abideth alone; but if he dies, he bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24); There are even complete stories that are paradoxes from beginning to end like that of Joseph who was exalted to the throne but first had to go through many sufferings; he was descending more and more before being exalted, first to the pit where he was thrown in by his brothers, then sold into slavery, then wrongfully imprisoned and forgotten there for several years. Until God in His time exalted him to the throne.
And these expressions and stories that seem fascinating when we first read them have great teachings for our lives. As you experience joy in the midst of a trial, your heart is enriched. We experience incredible satisfaction when we die for who we are, and eternal fruits are developed in our hearts. Suffering and failure do us so much good that when God decides to exalt us, we know that it is only for His love and mercy.
Jesus taught with many paradoxes: "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who despitefully use you..." (Luke 6:28,29). "So, whoever humbles himself like this child, that is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:4). "Thus the first shall be last, and the last shall be first; because many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 20:16); "For whosoever wants to save his life will lose it, and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it. (Matthew 16:25) Does that sound logical to the human mind?
The Apostle Paul also used them a lot in his epistles "The weakness of the world chose God, to confound things which are mighty." (I Cor. 1:27,28); "... By honor and dishonor, by evil report and for good report; as deceivers, but truthful; as unknown, but well known; as dying, but behold we live; as punished, but not killed; as sorrowful, but always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing but possessing all things. (II Co.6: 8 -10). How much meaning we can find in each one of these!
And so we could continue to talk about the "paradoxes of God," but what can we learn from them? That's what I want to leave you with this day. In order for us to become what God wants us to be, we must take a path full of experiences that if contrary to our human logic. They will ALWAYS leave us lessons and eternal marks in our hearts much more valuable than our expectations.
So, the next time you're in a situation that you don't think makes sense, remember that the Lord is working in your heart through his Paradoxes.
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