105 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
105 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "It’s Not the Thing, It’s What We Make of It"
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date: 2025-11-11T07:30:00-06:00
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draft: false
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description: "Suffering doesn’t come from events themselves but from what we decide they mean. A reflection on how both Stoic philosophy and Scripture teach the same truth — that peace begins where resistance ends."
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tags: ["faith", "perspective", "resilience", "stoicism", "reflection"]
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categories: ["Reflections"]
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author: "Dave Campbell"
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showToc: false
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cover:
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image: ""
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caption: ""
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alt: "A calm sea under soft morning light — a reminder that peace begins where resistance ends."
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---
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> “When you are distressed by an external thing, it’s not the thing itself that troubles you, but only your judgment of it. And you can wipe this out at a moment’s notice.”
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> — *Marcus Aurelius, Meditations* 8.47
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Every hardship carries two parts: what happens, and what we decide it means.
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The first is beyond our control; the second is ours entirely.
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Our reactions — not the events themselves — create much of our suffering.
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The ancient Stoics understood this, and so did the writers of Scripture.
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The world tests us, but our thoughts determine whether we are defeated or refined.
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**“For as he thinks within himself, so is he.”** — *Proverbs 23:7 (RSV-2CE)*
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---
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## Interpreting Events vs. Experiencing Them
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The same storm can sink one boat and strengthen another, depending on how the captain responds.
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Two people can face the same trial — one curses, one grows wiser — because one sees only pain while the other sees purpose.
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The apostle Paul lived this truth. Writing from prison, he declared:
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> “I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content.
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> I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want.
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> I can do all things in him who strengthens me.”
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> — *Philippians 4:11-13 (RSV-2CE)*
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Paul’s chains did not imprison his mind.
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He chose to see meaning in the suffering — to treat hardship as the soil where endurance grows.
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---
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## Biblical Examples of Reframed Suffering
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- **Joseph** was sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned — yet years later he could say:
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> “As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.”
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> — *Genesis 50:20 (RSV-2CE)*
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- **Job** lost everything — his family, his health, his wealth — but still declared:
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> “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”
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> — *Job 13:15 (RSV-2CE)*
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- **Paul and Silas** were beaten and jailed, yet “about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”
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— *Acts 16:25 (RSV-2CE)*
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Each of these moments reminds us: the event is not the story.
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The meaning we choose gives it power.
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---
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## The Moment of Decision
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Marcus Aurelius wrote that we can “wipe it out at a moment’s notice.”
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That doesn’t mean denying pain or pretending we’re unaffected.
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It means choosing not to let bitterness, resentment, or fear take root.
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Jesus modeled this perfectly in Gethsemane. Facing betrayal and crucifixion, He prayed:
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> “Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
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> — *Luke 22:42 (RSV-2CE)*
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He accepted what He could not change and found strength in obedience.
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That surrender was not defeat — it was victory over despair.
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---
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## Practicing the Perspective
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1. **Pause before reacting.** Ask: “What part of this belongs to me — and what belongs to God?”
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2. **Identify your judgment.** “I’ve decided this is unfair.” “I’ve decided this is hopeless.” Then question whether that’s truth or reaction.
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3. **Reframe through faith.**
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> “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.”
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> — *Romans 8:28 (RSV-2CE)*
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4. **Choose gratitude over grievance.**
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Gratitude doesn’t erase pain; it restores control over meaning.
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---
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## A Deeper Strength
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Life will hand us things we did not ask for — illness, loss, disappointment, delay.
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But within each lies a choice: to be shaped by anger or strengthened by acceptance.
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The Stoic calls it *judgment*.
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The Christian calls it *trust*.
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Both point toward the same truth: **peace begins where resistance ends.**
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When we learn to meet what happens with calm and courage, we no longer live as victims of circumstance.
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We become participants in redemption — people who turn hardship into holiness, trial into testimony.
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---
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> *It’s not the thing that defines you, but the faith and courage with which you interpret it.*
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