The Trials of Life

  

I’ve gotten lost a few times while hiking in the woods. Not the” scary, they’re going to find my body” lost, more like the “irritated that I lost my way and concerned about how long it’s going to take to get back” lost. When I’m lost, the surroundings don’t seem as pleasant as they were just a little earlier. When I finally get back to a familiar place and can see my way to the end, I’m able to enjoy the experience again.

 

There are times when the direction of our lives veers off the path we were following and leads us into uncharted territory. We can feel lost trying to cope and deal with whatever trial has knocked us off of the path of happiness and contentment. We may question why we are going through it.  We may become so dejected that we begin to feel that God has abandoned us, even though there is something at the center of our being that tells us that it’s not so.

 

If you’re lost and an experienced guide comes up and offers to go with you till you get back on the right path, you’d probably jump at the chance even if he tells you that the terrain will be rocky and the route challenging. Jesus makes that same offer to us in dealing with the trials we face. He has sent His Holy Spirit to be our guide, to lead us safely through times of trouble. Our task is to put aside our own will and desire and to listen to and follow the direction of the Spirit.

 

James wrote to the early Christians, “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 1:2-3). Some of his readers must have found it difficult to associate joy with the persecution they were experiencing. In the same way, we sometimes face tremendous burdens, perhaps a personal setback, chronic illness, or the loss of a loved one. Having joy in these circumstances may seem impossible.  The joy we are called to isn’t happiness about whatever we are going through. It’s a quiet joy in knowing that God is with us, that He never allows us to be in a situation that cannot be worked out for our good, and that we grow in our faith through times of trial.

 

Paul writes, “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:3-5). Our hope is the confident expectation that our loving and all-powerful Father will provide for us in our time of need and that He will bring us home to Him one day, wiping every tear from our eyes.

 

Our life on earth is imperfect, suffering is inevitable, but we can aspire to be overcomers through the grace and power of God, living in peace, joy, and hope each day. May His blessings be on us all.