12 Oct, 2010
When Faith Gets Hard
Copiapo, Chile (CNN) -- Cheering "Viva Chile," workers early Monday completed the installation of steel tubing to reinforce the path that will be used to bring 33 trapped miners to the surface.
About 96 meters of sheet metal was put in place to line the tunnel that was bored four-tenths of a mile into the Earth, according to Jeff Hart, operations manager for Layne Christensen Co., who has been in Chile advising workers on the drilling and casing operations.
The casing has a lip that holds it in place at the surface, and hangs down into the hole to serve as a buffer between the rescue capsule and the walls of the shaft, he said.
The work was the final step before the extraction of the miners can begin, Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said Sunday.
If all goes according to plan, the first of the miners could be pulled from the mine as early as Wednesday, he said. But the health and safety of the miners remained the top priority, he added.
Given their circumstances, the miners, who have been trapped since August 5, are in "very good" health, Health Minister Jaime Manalich said. Their spirits also remain high, he said.
Officials have said that the most technically adept miners will be the first to ascend the rescue shaft in case any problems arise. Next will be those with health concerns like diabetes or heart conditions. The miners judged to be emotionally strongest will go last.
When he told the miners through video conference that they would have to choose an order to be rescued in, there was no shortage of volunteers to go last, Manalich said.
"They continue to have an admirable attitude," he said...Continue reading full story & see videos at CNN.com.
God's Story: Romans 5:2-5
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
What does God's Story Scripture teach us about perseverance?
As unpopular as it is, God's Story is full of hardship. The writer of Romans, Paul, talks about the benefit of hardship in our lives. His story is full of it! In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes:
Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:24-28)
That's a ton of hardship. When we read what Paul wrote to the Romans, we need to remember that this is a guy who faced incredible troubles in his desire to talk about Christ. When he says that sufferings produce character, this is coming from a guy who really knows.
How can we connect God's Story Scripture to our lives?
The men trapped in the mine in Chile, the apostle Paul, AND you and I do--and will--face hardship in life. How will you let it be used?
Most of the time, we don't rejoice in hardship. We moan, groan, whine, cry and demand that we get out of it. The truth is, I would always choose the easy way over the hard way, and the most difficult periods of my life? I wouldn't wish those on anyone! But when I look back over those times, I realize that God was shaping my character in a way that would never come out of "easy" times of life.
- Have you faced difficult times? Have you ever noticed what good came out of those times?
- If you are in a difficult season now, read the Romans passage and ask God to show you what he's doing in your life.
- Resolve today to let difficult seasons shape your character into something stronger.
How can we connect today's story, God's Story Scripture, and our story to others?
- Do you have friends in difficult times? Do you ever wonder how to help?
- If yes, know that being present with someone in difficulty is one of the best things you can do. Be a friend. Listen. Don't judge or try to fix it, but be willing to pray and write or text an encouraging note or scripture.
- Knowing how God has shaped you in a difficult season is one thing you can offer a friend who's hurting. By sharing your story, you share hope.
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