An Easy Hell

An Easy Hell (by Thomas Watson, from "The Art of Divine Contentment")

"I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know howto have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need." Philippians 4:11-12

Whatever affliction or trouble a child of God meets with—it is all the hell he shall ever have! Whatever eclipse may be upon his name or estate—it is but a little cloud which will soon be blown over—and then his hell is past!

Death begins a wicked man's hell.
Death ends a godly man's hell.

Think with yourself, "What is my affliction? It is but a temporary hell. Indeed, if all my hell is here on earth—it is but an easy hell. What is the cup of affliction—compared to the cup of damnation!"

Lazarus could not get a crumb; he was so diseased that the dogs took pity on him; and as if they had been his physicians, licked his sores. But this was an easy hell—the angels quickly fetched him out of it! If all our hell is in this life—and in the midst of this hell, we have the love of God—then it is no more hell, but paradise! If all our hell is here on earth, we may see to the end of it; it is but skin-deep, it cannot touch the soul. It is a short-lived hell. After a dreary night of affliction, comes the bright morning of glory!

Since our lives are short—our trials cannot be long! As our riches take wings and fly away—so do our sufferings! Let us learn then, to be content, whatever our circumstances.

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this article was very helpful to me this morning when I read it. the last few weeks in my life really have been hell - whether its being pushed beyond my limits physically or out of my comfort zone by placing me in someone else's house with someone else's responsiblitiy or the unrest and uncertainty at work right now that seems never ending...

this has really been by far the hardest time of my Christian life so far. its been extreme and severe and roller-coastery and so on. and when it seems to be calming down, it picks right back up again. minute by minute, it has been a choice to either give in to my emotions and fears or to choose to resist that temptation from Satan and instead place my hope in Christ.

i'm fighting to place my hope in God. the command to place our hope in God tells me that it doesn't go there by default. I have to work to put my full reliance on my Savior as the answer to my problems and discouragement. that's a struggle. its a war and i can tell physical effects on my body and mind. but I am grateful for the reminder that this will have an end. this is hard. but there is a hope that this life is the worst I'll experience because I'm in union with Christ.

that union means I'm secure now amidst the unrest (even when I don't feel it) and that I have hope for the future (even when I don't see it). I won't "fall off the roller coaster" because I'm securely strapped in the arms of my powerful Physician Jesus who lovingly protects me from all harm. I won't "drown in the waves" because I'm held by a loving Father who won't let me sink under the overwhelming, powerful waves that keep assaulting my every breath. I won't fail in this trial because my confidence lies in the fact that I have a Guarantor of my faith.

My Jesus and the Holy Spirit will continue to sustain me throughout these (and future) trials and I have the promise that He will complete what He's started in me and that He will sustain me through the end. I'm weak. I'm dependent. But He's powerful and strong. So, even through this temporary "hell" I have the hope and confidence that I can choose to rejoice in the God of my salvation as the Rock that supports me through all trials.