For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.” For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. (Romans 8:14-8:18, NLT, 18 underlined)
Deep in our hearts we have a hope that suffering will one day become glory.
A young girl who would hope to be a family member instead finds herself a slave. Scorned as ugly, worthless, and cursed, forced into hard labor, neglected, spit at, she has but one hope: somehow, somehow she will be able to live in the beautiful castle she sees out her window.
What story am I telling? Cinderella. According to the American Library Association, “almost every culture” has a Cinderella story[1]. But why would the story have such universal appeal?
Cinderella voices encouragement to anyone who suffers to wait a little longer . . . because a new life may be just around the corner.
The book of Romans gives us more than a fairy tale’s hope. The book of Romans gives us God’s promise, that if we trust Jesus Christ, He will pay for our sin, set us free from all villains, and give us eternal life in His kingdom.
Cinderella didn’t sit against a cellar wall in her ballgown, tapping her glass slippers against the floor, smiling from time to time at her carriage. And we aren’t supposed to sit around either! We have freedom! We have places to go and people to reach! Jesus has not made us bystanders in His adventure—He’s made us partakers! Let’s get up and go!
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. (Romans 8:18)
