Hope for healing rain

<p> The upside down theology of Christianity- down is up and up is down – We lose ourselves in order to find ourselves; admit we are wrong so we can be declared right; are strongest when we’re weakest;. this one is We rejoice in suffering instead of learning to just get over it or learning to put up with it. There’s a secret here, a mystery, a hidden treasure as usual which declares the reality of a life lived with God. It’s the story of the gospel again in one of its 10,000 reasons.</p> <p>Suffering produces endurance Romans 5:2 but we rejoice (buoyant) in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance (seeing the potential - pain/gain Hebrews 12:2), and endurance produces character (‘dokime’ trustworthy, genuine, tried and true - sine-cere - without wax), and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame (make us feel worthless and helpless), because God's love has been poured into our hearts (a cloudburst after the drought Joel 2:28) through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (The healing rain)</p> <p>What is suffering? In this life we live with suffering and limitations. They belong to our limited being as distinct from God who is an unlimited being. Suffering is the human experience of our reaction to our limitations – Can’t have what we want, do what we want, be what we want or know who we really are. This is actually our reaction to losing our entitlement to certain things (the current global crisis). This disorientates us and leads to an identity crisis – what I thought was mine now isn’t mine. Who is the ‘me’ that says it’s mine (Babies - and kids in kindy). Losing the true ‘me’ brings about shame (makes me somehow feel worthless or helpless or hopeless.</p> <p>Endurance forms Character. If I cannot accept and endure the reality of this loss or deprivation that is due to limitations character is not formed. Jesus came into the midst of our limitations. He did not come to remove them but he has given us his unlimited risen self in the midst of them. (Hebrews