“I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

You recognize that verse, don’t you? You know, it’s the one that lets us know how into sports God is. OK, I’m not going to rail on people who use this verse for inspiration on the field of competition. In truth, it’s kind of nice to see people draw inspiration from God’s word in contexts other than “churchy” places. I do wonder if this verse has been misappropriated away from the original point though.

I fear that many have come to the conclusion that this verse means we can overcome great obstacles to achieve great and impressive things through Christ. The world will stand in awe of what I have achieved (through Christ, of course) despite tremendous odds against me. Well, that’s nice (I guess) but it’s not really what Paul is getting at in this verse. Paul is not in a football locker room or a weight room. He isn’t staring down a steely-eyed pitcher, while gripping his bat tighter. Paul isn’t psyching himself up to do anything impressive at all by the world’s standards. If successful, no one will cheer him. Nobody will take note. Rather, the thing that Paul is achieving through the strength of Christ is….. (are you ready?)…… contentment.

Sort of anti-climactic, isn’t it? If you were about to “ooohhh” and “ahhhh” at Paul, don’t bother. It’s a bit of an awkward moment for those who are used to using this verse for grand, impressive achievements. Let’s face it, Paul would be terrible at designing inspirational posters. Can’t you just see it? “BE CONTENT!” Paul would make lousy halftime locker room speeches. “Be satisfied with what you have!” Yeah. Thanks, Paul.

And yet, upon closer perusal, Paul does seem to be making a bold statement. While showing genuine appreciation to the church at Philipi for their generosity in meeting his needs, he explains to them that he has learned to be content in any situation, most notably, when in need. I guess that is an impressive claim. Paul is content when at his lowest. He is content while hungry, content while suffering the sting of injustice, content in the confusing fog of wondering at God’s plan. Paul finds contentment and peace where most would find demoralization and angst. Through Christ, Paul has found the ability to achieve the kind of contentment in the midst of adversity that few ever achieve.

The next time you see Philippians 4:13 bandied about to imply the attainment of lofty goals, take a moment to consider what Paul considered a lofty goal. His contentment was found in the grace of Jesus Christ, not in what the world sees as greatness. When you feel the pang of hunger, or the sting of injustice, fear of the future, or regret of the past, be content. Find peace. Remember the assuring grace of Jesus and your destiny in Christ. Be content in the holiness of God. It may sound impossible in your situation… your marriage, your economic situation, your job. But, like Paul, you truly can find contentment and peace in the midst of uncertainty and trouble. Yes, even right now. That may be even better than making touchdowns.

Why do we suffer? I’ve wrestled with this question for a long time and I’ve come to the conclusion that we suffer as a function of our humanity. Suffering leads to virtue inasmuch as our epistemology (way of defining truth) allows it. In other words, animals have an exclusively empirical epistemology, defining truth exclusively through their senses. Therefore, when animals suffer, there is no purpose to the suffering; they merely suffer as there is no “truth” or virtue to be understood other than suffering. Being devoid of reason, animals don’t ask “why” they suffer. Humans, however, do ask why. Logically, the only reason for asking the question as to why we suffer is because we either think there is or should be an answer to the question.

As reasoning beings equipped with the ability to define truth through that reason, rather than merely through empirical data, humans may redefine suffering so that it leads to virtue. This, then, is the purpose of human suffering: virtue. Yet even this answer leads to something outside. Jesus told us that the “Kingdom of Heaven is near.” He often described the Kingdom of Heaven and did so in abstract terms of virtue, rather than concrete terms of dimension. Thus, I have come to the conclusion that the ultimate purpose of human suffering is to bring the Kingdom of Heaven, as Jesus described it, into the world. God’s infinite characteristics (love, mercy, etc.), enter the finite world of time and space when His children bring them in. God’s chosen avenue of transfer is suffering. Jesus died on the cross (he suffered) and consequently brought God’s infinite characteristics of grace and mercy into the finite world of sin. Having been made in His image, humans have this unique ability to do the same.

When I suffer, I have the opportunity to breach the bounds of finite time and space, to draw from the infinite love and mercy of God and bring it into the world. Great love is most poignantly revealed in great suffering. Why then do we suffer? To usher into the world the Kingdom of Heaven! The Kingdom of Heaven is not some place confined to time and space. It is not “over there.” Jesus described the Kingdom of Heaven most often as a state of being and when we act in a Godly manner, we bring His Kingdom into the world now. We don’t have to wait for some ethereal, cloud-infused “reward” in the distant future when evil-doers get what’s coming to them and we spend our days floating in the clouds. We can experience Heaven now inasmuch as we bring it into the world. I am more convinced than ever that God does not intend for His children to endure suffering merely as a rite of passage, waiting for a better place in the future. I believe He intends for us to bring that better “place” (the Kingdom of Heaven) into the world now.

Will there be a time when God makes all things well and the Kingdom is fully restored? Of course; the Bible seems clear on that point. However, it also speaks of the Kingdom as a state of being that may be brought into a fallen world. That’s really good news. That’s the Gospel.