John 12:24-25

The phrase "He that loveth his life shall lose it..." has been going through my head today, so I decided to look it up and read the chapter. John 12:24-25 (KJV) says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." I started thinking about what I have been going through and how I could change my perspective.

It is necessary that I die to my flesh and my sinful nature. It is necessary that I love God more than anything on this earth. John 16:33 (KJV) says, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." There it is in black and white...you will have trouble in this world! Not if's, and's or but's...you WILL have trouble. But the promise is that He has overcome the world. He has overcome the trouble, conquered death with life, filled the tearful eyes with glee. He has overcome! I feel very overcome, but I know that He has already conquered sickness at the cross. I also know we will have victory through Him over sickness, whether it be in this world or when we go to be with Him in glory.

The phrase "hateth his life in this world" is an odd one to me. I don't think God is saying we have to literally hate our life. I looked up this verse in several different passages, and I love how The Message puts it: "In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal." That is what I want, and I want it to be so evident to my kids that it rubs off on them. I want the attitude in II Corinthians 4:16-18 (The Message), "So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever." This is only temporary. This is not our forever. God is giving us His grace in the midst of this, and that grace is all-sufficient.

Maybe my attitude change needs to be to look for His grace in the midst of our troubles, to see His hand in the midst of the chaos, to see His calm in the midst of my anxiety, and to see His ultimate healing power in the midst of our sickness and pain. If I strip away the layers of pain and frustration, I know I will find a core of Grace holding me.