I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3 ESV)
On April 9th of 1942 the United States was fighting alongside Philippine soldiers in the Battle Of Baatan (in the Philippine Islands) with Japan. Unfortunately, the battle was lost and thousands of Philippine soldiers and hundreds of U.S. soldiers were imprisoned. The Japanese were unprepared for this amount of prisoners and weren't prepared to deal with them. There was no food for three days and they had to drink from polluted waters. They were forced on a 80 mile walk to an area more north of where they were. They were treated brutally and many lost their lives and those who survived suffered lifetime illness' and problems.
One of my dear friends - Jim, was forced to walk this walk and suffered blindness for the rest of his life. Even years later - it was a very difficult thing for him to share his experiences. But through it all - this trial didn't bring out the worse in him as it did in others but brought out the graciousness of The Lord and the fruits of the spirit in ways that only Christ could put in a man.
The traits in this passage of humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with another in love and eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace were all amplified in my friend. He taught me about forgiveness and kindness in ways that I would have never learned on my own.
I would like to say that these traits are a natural thing that we would be endowed with but I can't. Usually these characteristics are developed through much difficulty and much hardship forcing us to see and feel and understand the other side of life.
How will I learn humility unless someone humiliates me? How will I learn gentleness unless someone has been harsh and rough with me? How will I learn patience unless I am having to deal with the impatience in myself and with others? How will I deal with love and unity unless I am living amongst hate and disunity? How will I learn about peace unless I experience the ugliness of hate in and around me?
I know that life can be hard... but God. He can take every trial and heartache and difficult place and retool it for the good of helping and blessing others.
My friend Jim went through a terrible time and suffered much during his whole adult life. I was blessed to know him and his lovely wife Inez and their five children. To be in his home and in their lives was a highlight of my ministry. I learned about trusting God in the midst of hardship and I learned about allowing His gift of grace to be in and extended through me.
Trust God today with all your hurts and pains and sufferings and allow Him to mold and remake you into His image. In doing so, you will bring glory to Him and see the gift of peace begin to rise up within you and your life.
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