by Pastor Douglas Brauner

God Uses Even Our Mistakes to Shape Our Character.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

We humans don’t often think of the long-term consequences of our actions. Instead, we focus on the immediate, on getting the most bang for the buck now. The person who planted this tree wasn’t thinking about the future of their fence.

I can hear other owners of this house saying, “What was the person thinking?” Well, it’s obvious that the person wasn’t thinking.

However, this fence has character.

Paul reminds us that suffering produces endurance. This endurance shapes our character and produces hope in our lives.

“…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Romans 5:3-5 English Standard Version

My gut tells me that the suffering to which Paul refers is the pain we experience as those who believe in Jesus, who put their trust in his death and resurrection as our redemption. This kind of suffering builds endurance in us which affects the character of our lives. It points us to the hope of the coming of God’s rule and reign in fullness of his glory.

But can God use the suffering we endure because of our poor choices? This might not have been Paul’s thought behind his writing, but I have seen this truth at work in my life. I’ve made decisions based on short-term desires, but their long-term consequences, be they good or bad, have shaped my character.

Even my sin shapes my character and produces hope. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not making an excuse for doing whatever I want to do. God’s grace is about humility in spite of my poor choices. I know that I need Christ to forgive and renew me. I need his mercy to work in my life so that my eyes are fixed on the day when Christ returns, and his character is perfectly formed in me.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado