Free Grace Women

In 1987, a team of scientists built the “ideal ecosystem” in Arizona.  It was fully self-contained, intended to prove how one might grow food in space. They named it Biosphere 2, and in it, the scientists created the best possible set of growing conditions. The trees they planted grew quickly – much more quickly than their counterparts in the outside world. However, well before they reached maturity or the ability to bear fruit, the trees fell over and died. When the scientists studied the wood and bark of these fallen trees they learned their mistake: a lack of wind in Biosphere 2 had denied the trees the opportunity to develop stress wood. The stress wood, true to its name, is a tree’s response to adversity – it’s denser than other wood and provides the tree with a stable and rigid base. To develop the strength and resilience to bear their weight and stand upright – thus growing to maturity –  trees need to develop stress wood. That is, they need the adversity and stress of the wind.

In pursuit of an easy life:

I may not be living in Biosphere 2, but I have a relatively easy life. Despite this, I have often wished it was even easier. I have found it difficult to trust God, even in my little struggles. I remember being single and giving up hope for a husband, deciding that serving God alone was okay (then I met my husband – isn’t it funny how often it works that way?). I remember wrangling a bunch of active toddlers. It’s only by God’s grace I survived. I remember juggling the homeschooling of five children while working part-time to support my husband’s education. I remember eating beans and rice to make ends meet. Even today, I feel the stress of a full-time job and a full-time ministry competing with my family and God for my time.

I sometimes (okay, often) find it difficult to choose to be kind to my husband and now teen and young adult kids. I find it hard to work out the realities of our call to show grace to my imperfectly human family, friends, and church. Trusting God through the difficult circumstances of life, even a relatively easy life like mine, is hard. But the adversity of life has a purpose. Like the trees, I cannot grow and develop into fruit-bearing maturity without adversity and stress.

Spiritual Stress wood:

The New Testament has a word for this development of spiritual “stress wood.” It’s hupomone.  In Greek, it means “to stand up under”, and conveys the idea the carrying a heavy weight or burden. In a study of its 32 uses, I discovered that hupomone is an important element in the process of spiritual maturation.  

Through the New Testament, hupomone is accompanied by and contributes to the development of a variety of fruits of the spirit. Paul in Romans calls it a reason to glory in our tribulations, resulting in character and hope (Romans 5:3-4 NKJV).  Timothy is encouraged to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, patience (hupomone), and gentleness (1 Timothy 6:11 NKJV).  James tells us to count our trials as joy, because they produce patience (hupomone), which makes us mature and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:3-4 NKJV). And Peter tells us to diligently add to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance (hupomone), and love (2 Peter 1:5-7 NKJV).  

If we as believers want to bear spiritual fruit such as character, hope, righteousness, godliness, faith, gentleness, completeness, and love, we must mature by learning to stand up under life’s difficult circumstances. Most of the occurrences of hupomone include a context of suffering.  Adversity is an assumed part of life, and we as believers are challenged to endure and grow through it – not with a whining attitude, but with strength coming from God that gives us resilience – allowing us to grow, bear fruit, and be rewarded.

In addition to a context of suffering, most of the uses of hupomone also include hope – hope to bear spiritual fruit (Luke 8:15, Col 1:11), the hope of being a comfort to others (Rom 15:4-5, 2 Cor 1:6, 1 Thess 1:3), the hope of strength from God through our weakness (Rom 8:25-26), and hope of eternal reward from God (1 Thess 1:3 and 4, Hebrews 10:36, 12:1) – that all is in addition to the spiritual fruit listed above that we get to enjoy during this life. Romans 8:18 reminds us that 

 “…the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Flourishing

We don’t live in a suffering-free bubble, like Biosphere 2 and it wouldn’t be good for us if we did.  As we endure the hardships of each phase of life – whether it’s living for God through singleness, changing diapers, mentoring teenagers, caring for aging parents or aging ourselves – in all the adversity of life – these struggles are growing us into mature disciples.  We need them. 

May we, like trees, grow strong and healthy as we hupomone through the trials of life, developing the resilience and maturity of a disciple who spiritually flourishes and who bears spiritual fruit.