Struggling through difficult and painful challenges can feel like we are being pummelled in a “School of Hard Knocks.” Hopefully these unwelcome classroom experiences will help us gain wisdom. But thankfully there is another more fulfilling curriculum; pursuing God’s word and following his pathway.

The whole structure and flow of the Gospel change with this paragraph. “He then began to teach them…” The Gospel moved from John the Baptist to Jesus and all the encounters we have read since chapter three. Now we move to the culmination of the story that Mark wants to tell. The immediate future does not look bright.

Peter is front and center once again and will stay there for the next several years.

A trash city was the last place I expected to see God’s glory. Our missions team had just shown the Jesus Film to 250 people who live in a garbage dump in Mexico. After the movie, my wife and daughter and I shared our testimonies and invited these people to receive Christ. Hundreds came forward to pray with us! A local pastor prayed for many of them to be healed, and we saw people jumping up and walking after years of illness. It was truly amazing.

Imagine being one of the disciples in this story. A desperate father pleads with you to free his son from the demon who is destroying his life. You remember Jesus gave you the authority to do exactly this (Mark 6:7). “I’ll do my best,” you say, as you copy what you’ve seen Jesus do. But the evil spirit stays put. You feel terrible. What went wrong?

It’s easy to compare ourselves to others. It’s especially easy in a world where we can post our latest photos and status updates for everyone to see. We’re constantly confronted with other people’s promotions, amazing getaways, and adorable toddlers. Sometimes, we even feel a need to compete.

“It’s only snow. You need to apologize to your son!” I was too furious to listen to my wife’s words. My son had just arrived at our house. I was halfway through snow-blowing the driveway. Without thinking, he tried to get his truck up the drive and got stuck. All the maneuvering that came next tore up my lawn. It also packed down the remaining snow, making it impossible to clear with the snow-blower.

What do you hope for? When you let your mind drift on the seas of your longings, where does it go?

Here’s an even more important question: What do you hope in? When you consider the things you most want, how do you imagine achieving them? Hard work? Wise maneuvering? Winning the lottery?