How do you respond when your life seems to be dominated by bad news and unasked-for challenges? The recent economic crisis has added job anxiety and unemployment to the already-heavy list of worries that countless families face, so it seems appropriate to ask: how are you dealing with it all? What’s a Bible-based reaction to, and understanding of, life’s setbacks?

Writer, speaker, and friend of the blog James Watkins has a slightly different answer than you might expect: he thinks that humor can play an important part in helping us through tough times, and beyond that, he believes that there is a real purpose behind suffering. In fact, Watkins sees a certain often-overlooked sense of humor embedded in Bible passages that Christians often quote during difficult experiences, like Romans 8:28.

If that sounds intriguing, you’ll want to check out yesterday’s interview with James Watkins on The Harvest Show. (The interview starts at the 20:15 minute mark, if you want to skip right to it). There’s a text transcript of the interview if you prefer to read it. Here’s a sample:

Your book is based on the familiar promise of Romans 8:28. But you believe the real truth is found in verse 29. Can you explain that?

For years, I viewed Romans 8:28 rather flippantly. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,” but I never considered what that purpose was. Verse 29 says it is “to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.” That’s what God wants to work out of the problems and tragedies that we face.

In fact, there’s an amazing verse in Hebrews 5:8: “Although [Jesus] was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” Jesus was “conformed to the likeness of” God’s son by what He suffered. He don’t become conformed to the image of God’s Son by “health and wealth,” “properity” or “blessings,” but by suffering. Not a popular message!

In the interview, James talks about the role of laughter in coping with tragedy and difficulty. It’s a conversation based on his latest book, Squeezing Good Out of Bad. (And it’s worth noting that in a rather classy move, he’s making the book available for free to anyone who is currently unemployed.)

By: Andy. This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 2:59 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.