Monday Meditation ~ When Troubles Come

Happy Monday!

Here we are in the last week of October. Another month has come and gone. They seem to be going by faster now that I am older. Time is just slipping on by. A lot has happened this month. Some things have been really good; some things have been just okay, and some, well not so good. I was caught unaware, but God surely wasn’t. I find comfort in that. The troubles we face in life have purpose. Knowing that should give us joy. That means they’re not random. That means there’s something greater that will come from them. (That gives me goosebumps!)

James 1:2-3> “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your *endurance has a chance to grow.” (NLT)  (*Note: patience, perseverance, steadfastness)

Endurance. Patience. Perseverance. Steadfastness. Something we as Christians need, however, we’re just not very keen on how we get it. At least I’m not. It’s hard to comprehend how an opportunity for joy can come from trouble. Yet it does. For years, I pretended to have joy during hard times simply because God’s Word said to. Therefore, I manufactured my own joy. I said I had it when I really didn’t. The outside looked joyful. I even spoke joyful words. However, on the inside, where it really mattered, my joy was fake. I thought if I pretended hard enough that real joy would come. It did not. Why in the world would I consider that an opportunity for joy would come from troubles? Furthermore, how was I supposed to do that? It didn’t make any sense to me at all. I had missed what the reason was.

Troubles and trials will come. That’s a given. The interesting thing about them is that God uses them to help us grow. That’s the opposite reason of why Satan uses them. He uses them to capture us, enslave us and to destroy us. Not God! Nope, He does what seems crazy to the world. He uses troubles and trials as a means to set us free. They grow us to be more like Him. If I don’t learn how to endure, to be patient, to persevere, or to be steadfast then I won’t make it during those challenging times. Clinging to the knowledge of knowing that Jesus is with me, walking with me, and standing beside me in whatever “furnace” I may face should give me joy. You know what? It does. It even makes me smile. That was not the result Satan was hoping to get. Way to go God!

In those difficult times, stop and praise God for loving you enough to help you grow. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” (Why should I do that?) “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”  

In awe of Him,
Vonda