Treasure in jars of clay

In my world, I deal with high levels of stress on a daily basis. I’m a chaplain working with some seriously traumatised kids. Part of my PhD is examining the effects of stress and discrimination on spiritual health.

So I want to talk for a moment today about self-care. It’s something that I’m quite passionate about addressing. I think that so many people are talking about self-care, but Christian’s aren’t addressing it in any meaningful way- So here is my question (not rhetorical) when you are in the crucibles of life, what are your self-care techniques?

Here is why I’m so passionate about talking about self-care as a Christian leader. Here is why I think it’s so important that Christians talk about self-care. I don’t think it works. I don’t think self-care works. I think by and large, Christians have jumped on this self-care bandwagon, and haven’t stopped to actually ask ‘what is going on here?’

The basis of ALL self-care is decrease suffering, increase comfort. That mentality could not be further from how Paul faces suffering. So today, briefly, we are going to see in , three things that Paul does in the midst of life’s crucibles. 1) remember God’s power 2) He reorients his pursuit 3) refocuses his perspective.

In the face of life’s crucibles, we must remember God’s power

Look with me at vv 5-6.

The God who spoke light into existence is the same God who who moved in you so that you would understand that you are his child.

It’s the same God who breathed life into humanity, who also breathed new life into you.

vv13-14- “Since we have the same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.” It’s the same God who raised Jesus from the dead, who has conquered death, and who will raise you also to life, by his great power.

And here is the paradox of our passage- this incredible message has been hidden in the most feeble, fragile, delicate, disposable vessels in existence. Jars not of gold or silver, not of note and beauty, but of clay. So much so that we are “vv 8-9”

You see, we as Christian leaders need to remember that there is very little that is impressive about us. We aren’t called to draw people to ourselves. What is important is what is the treasure that we carry- the message that we hold out to the world that they too can taste of God’s power.

Which leads us nicely to our second observation:

2. In the face of life’s crucibles, we must reorient our pursuit

Paul gives a very specific reason for his suffering, multiple times in this passage.

Look at vv10-12, the key phrase in these verses is “SO THAT”

Paul is in the grips of life’s crucibles, and specifically, he is being persecuted for his faith, but I think it’s safe to say that we can see in this a principle for how we are to face all suffering. Paul is TOTALLY TRANSFIXED by the gospel. His goal in life is that Christ’s lordship might be proclaimed. His single mindedness is fixated on the proclamation of the glory of God.

He remembers the power, and reorients his pursuit to make that power known.

Look with me at Paul’s pursuit- if you read Paul’s letters, you’ll notice they are dripping with the same thing over and over and over again- it’s there clearly in vv13-15. Read it with me.

A friend who suffers from Parkinsons, was recently also diagnosed with Leukemia. He says:

“The journey so far has had its difficulties. I have sat on footpaths, train stations and ferry wharves, sometimes for hours, waiting for my legs to remember how to walk. I have exhausted the supply of good TV shows on Netflix, Stan and Amazon Prime as I lay awake through the long hours of the night waiting for the tremoring to stop so that sleep can begin. I mourn the lost opportunities to do things with Sandy and the kids. Lachlan in particular, being our youngest, has missed opportunities for doing dad and son stuff together, which fills me with regret. I grow bored at being house-bound and disappointed that I cannot contribute to my family and community in ways I once took for granted.

Yet I am in good spirits.

In the last few years I have discovered myself, life, God, and grace in ways that I never expected. In many ways my life is richer, my heart more thankful and my joy deeper than ever before.

… In the last few years I have discovered myself, life, God, and grace in ways that I never expected. In many ways my life is richer, my heart more thankful and my joy deeper than ever before.

...

And I have faith in my Creator,  the ultimate source and originator of love, grace, generosity, kindness,  compassion and hope, and who fills me with a sense that whatever lies ahead – whether the realisation of our worst fears or the triumph of life – that nothing can separate me and my family from love, from hope and from grace.”

I read those words, and I am encourage to pursue Christ. I read it and I am affected- it makes me see God at work in the world.

And so in some measure, it is true that when we are hard pressed, perplexed and persecuted, something of God shines through. And Paul’s argument is that the very weakness of our bodies is the mechanism by which this takes place- V7- OUR WEAKNESS IS THE VERY THING THAT ENABLES US TO POINT TO GOD’S POWER. Our pursuit as Christian leaders MUST begin with the recognition that we work from a position of weakness. Only then will our pursuit come to fruition.

It’s the whole “you can’t make an omelette without cracking a few eggs” phenomenon- it’s what’s inside that matters.

But if you’re anything like me, you hear this, and my first instinct is to buck up against it- I’m suffering, SO THAT other people might see God at work. Surely there is a better way? Surely the God of the universe could summon up the creativity to glorify himself without slamming me against the rocks?

3. In the face of life’s crucibles, we must refocus our perspective

Everyone knows that short-sightedness is the enemy of great achievement. If you can’t see the bigger picture, there is no way that you are going to reach the higher goals. Whether you’re building a rocket or lifting weights, the premise is the same-if you can’t see in your minds eye the end goal, your outcomes will inevitably suffer. If you can’t If you can’t envisage a better future, you won’t strive to make a difference.

The exact same thing is true of Christian leadership under pressure. If you lose sight of the end game, you will not have the capacity to lead well during life’s crucibles. Look at vv16-17 with me.

To me, the words “light and momentary troubles” are things like: “I ran out of milk and so didn’t get to make myself a coffee this morning,” or “I was overlooked for that promotion and now I’m stuck in my 80K/year role for the next 6 months.” or “I just blew all my savings on a trip to Europe and now I can’t afford to go out for drinks with my mates”... Remember with me for a moment what Paul’s “Light and momentary troubles are”. Listen to me read

We have to ask the question: How does Paul, regard this list as “light and momentary”? I think the answer is in perspective. Read 4:18 with me.

What is unseen is eternal.

Friends the Bible never gives us a clear cut explanation for why we suffer. It never tells us the reason or purpose for any given moment of being under pressure and in life’s crucible. What it does do, is reveals to us a God who has suffered, who sees our suffering, and who is working toward a day when suffering is no more. And that is the hope that we hold on to.

So by all means, use those self-care strategies. Go for it. But here is my encouragement as we seek to be Christian leaders in those crucible moments, in a world that so desperately needs sign posts of the divine. Don’t just use that self-care time to look out for number one.

Use that self care time to re-orient your pursuit and refocus your perspective. Your pursuit (4:10-11) is that Christ might be revealed in you. Your perspective (16-18) is eternity.

As you sit in that bubble bath, don’t lick your wounds- meditate on the riches of God’s new creation.

As you jog in that park, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that your crucible is beyond God’s care- recognise the fact that you are being used by the Creator of the Universe to display his glory.

When you sip wine and gorge yourself on KFC- don’t adopt the self-care mantra of woe-is-me. Instead, pray that your eyes would be fixed not on what is seen, but on what is unseen- for what is unseen is eternal.

When you binge Netflix- don’t for a minute think that you’re escaping the pressure of this world. You will be hard pressed, you will be perplexed, you will be struck down. But you won’t be crushed, you won’t be abandoned, you won’t be destroyed.