All Trials Are Blessings
Posted by:
Bible Blogger on
December 8, 2006 at
6:32PM EST
There are few things that really work on a Christian like the everyday
trials of life. We all know of the big trials we all face...fires,
divorces, deaths, etc...but we never want to acknowledge the small
trials of life. The ones that every Christian has on some level that
teach us lessons all the time and God seems to leave us in them for a
long time.
I began thinking about this after spending some more time in James. I have two passages I want you to read and ponder...
James 1:2-4 (NIV): "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
James 1:12 (NIV): " Blessed
is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the
test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those
who love him."
Do you consider the stress and problems of the
every day as blessings? I know that I don't always consider them that
way. It can be the annoying brother in law that just doesn't
understand you don't want to join up in his Xango business. It could
be the boss that enjoys talking down to you like you've never done your
job before because they get a thrill from the power trip. It could be
the desk clerk at the hotel who keeps walking away when you want them
to fix a problem with your room. The times where you have to keep your
cool and in some cases show respect to the position that this person is
in (and perhaps abusing.)
Those are daily trials and we all face
them. How often do you hear someone complain about something like this
and then say "yeah, so? We all have those. Deal with it!" It's very
easy sometimes to just dismiss someone complaining about the daily
grind because we all have those problems to bear in our own lifes. We
all have bad bosses or annoying relatives or receive rude customer
service.
Obviously we pray for these situations. We pray for
God to provide relief or escape. However, this is also a time where we
should be able to turn to our brothers and sisters in Christ as well.
We all need other people to lean on for support and that's part of the
reason the church is here. We need to know that when we're down and
out and we're praying but God seems to be so far away there's a brother
or sister who will pray with us, cry with us, encourage us or even give
us a little perspective on the situation.
Now, we as the church
body...as brothers and sisters...need to really work on our patience in
this realm. There are always going to be some people who always
complain but never seem to do anything about it. They never look for
the new job or they never tell that relative a firm no. Remember that
you may not know all they're doing and perhaps there's much behind the
scenes they're trying to do to change the situation. Remember God will
keep us where He wants us until we learn what He wants us to learn.
Frustration on our part can keep adding up and adding up. Telling
someone to "get over it" and perhaps dumping your problems onto them
does little more than make them feel like a burden and drive a wedge
between the two of you. If enough people in a church do that to
someone you can drive them from the church. You may improve the
atmosphere in church a little bit but are you really being what Christ
called you to be?
I'm sure you don't consider it blessings when
someone's venting to you about their issues. I know that at times it
can really wear down on me when someone's doing that to me. However,
I've learned to keep a perspective that it's really a blessing in that
the person in question trusts me enough to ask for my prayer support
and Godly counsel.
Don't you think it's a blessing when
someone comes to you and says they respect you? That they value what
you have to say? That they think you might have an answer or at least
help provide some direction when they don't know which way to go? They
are putting you in a situation where you can directly impact their
lives and that is a real blessing.
So I want to encourage you
the next time you feel that irritation creeping up your spine. Take a
deep breath and praise God that you're blessed to be in this situation
to bless someone else. Throw up a prayer asking Him how you can best
be a brother or sister in Christ to his person. It's not going to be
easy nor is your attitude going to turn on a dime but it will
eventually happen and you'll be better for both yourself and those
around you.
