If. . .
If—
(‘Brother Square-Toes’—Rewards and Fairies)
While it is not a perfect picture, to me this poem expresses something essential to what it means to live by the indwelling life of Christ. When you rely on Christ as you life and nothing else, not only will you experience His life, but His suffering as well!
In 1 Peter 4:12-13, Peter writes:
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed.
The Apostle Paul also wrote in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death.”
The Lord willingly emptied Himself of his divine rights (Philippians 2) to become human. He was a man of sorrow, despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3). All that He had worked for seemed lost and stripped from Him as He was abandoned by all who followed Him. He allowed Himself to be utterly humiliated in death.
He continued onward in all this without complaint, being obedient to His Father, trusting in the glory that would come.
The same Lord lives inside of you and your brothers and sisters! You will face rejection. You will face sorrows and suffering. You may lose all things.
However, no matter what happens, hold fast to the Lord inside you! Cling to Him with every fiber of your being! He will never abandon you, no matter what it feels like! If we are willing to share in the Lord’s sufferings, we will also experience His glory and victory in the end!
“To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” – Revelation 3:21
I love that poem too, for the exact same reason. It is a description of the life of Jesus Christ. How many only want to share in His victory. The only way to share in His victory, is to first share in His suffering. How sweet it is to share anything with our glorious Lord!
I absolutely agree, sister. The worth of knowing the Lord makes us willing to endure whatever happens through His life.
In awe of that anrsew! Really cool!