The NorthWord
NorthWord is a daily Christian podcast from St. John's Fort Smith in collaboration with the Anglican Family. Hosted by Father Aaron from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories.
Here's how it works: Every Sunday we release the full sermon preached that morning. Then Monday through Saturday, you get 3-5 minute daily reflections based on that sermon - one thought you can actually use each day. Every Wednesday we explore the rhythm of Jesus' life and how his followers have lived it out for 2,000 years.
Whether you're Pentecostal, Orthodox, Baptist, Catholic, or just curious about faith - this is for you. Ancient faith. Real life. No fluff.
The Word. The North. Your Week.
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The NorthWord
The Purpose of Difficulty
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Hardship isn't punishment for what you did. It's preparation for who you're becoming.
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Good morning. This is Northword.
SPEAKER_00Hardship is not punishment for what you did, it is preparation for who you are becoming. Good morning, this is Northward, the Word, the North Your Week, a daily podcast from St. John's Fort Smith, in collaboration with the Anglican family. I'm your host, Father Aaron. This episode is brought to you by N60 Farms, proving that farming north of the 60th parallel is not only possible, it's thriving. There is a story in Matthew that gets right to the heart of our message, of our theme. A disciple asks Jesus, Rabbi, why was this man born blind? Was it because of his sin or his parents' sin? And Jesus answers, Neither this man nor his parents sinned. This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in him. Not punishment, not failure, display. The blind man's hardship had a purpose. It was not because God was angry, it was because God was forming something in him and through him. We live in a culture obsessed with comfort. We believe the pain is always a sign that something is wrong, and something something sometimes is wrong, but not always. Sometimes pain is a sign that something is being formed. The sculptor does not apologize to the marble for hitting it. The coach does not apologize to the to the players for for this for doing push-ups for making them run laps. The teacher does not apologize to the student for giving him a hard test. They strike, they push, they challenge because they see the potential in the person they are shaping. And God is no less committed to your formation than a sculptor is to the marble. He will not comfort you into character, he will not ease you into holiness. He will form you through difficulty, through resistance, through the kind of pressure that reveals who you really are and who you are meant to be. This does not mean all suffering is good. It does not mean you should seek it out or welcome it without question. But it does mean this: that when hardship comes, and it will come, you can ask a question different from what did I do wrong? You can ask, what is God forming in me? And that changes your relationship to the difficulty entirely. This has been Northward, the Word of the North, Your Week, a daily podcast from St. John's Fort Smith in collaboration with the Anglican family. What is being formed in you right now? That question is more important than the pain. Use the text us link in the description to reach out. We would love to hear what is being formed in you right now.
SPEAKER_01And until tomorrow, God do you have to be honest in the name of Fower, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.