The Gift in Adversity

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." -James 1:2&3

 
I often reminisce on my family history. So much of what we encounter in our daily lives roots back to our childhood experiences. (See Paul Hegstrom's book Broken Children, Grown-Up Pain.) But when I think of what happened then, I no longer see it as something to avoid and diminish as awful. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't fun, and I still deal with the consequences of some of what happened then. But instead of feeling full of dread I am filled with gratitude that God allowed me to be in such a place so that I would need to depend on Him more, and that I would know Him as my Heavenly Father. In place of the pain and hurt, He has placed irrevocable joy.

I doubt many of us that are in or have been in difficult circumstances could call them a blessing. It has taken a lot of time, a lot of healing, and a lot of restoration, but it was so worth the cost. The joy of knowing Christ and experiencing His peace, love and joy in spite of circumstances is better than any diamond, ruby or emerald on this earth, or any comfort we might enjoy. If you've never been through adversity, you'll never know how valuable it is to be without it. And, you'll never know the blessing of the depth of God experiences we need in order to get us through those tough times.


Someone once told my dad, "God must love you a lot. He does not allow such difficult experiences into a life that He does not plan to use greatly."

Have you discovered the gift in adversity?

The Greatest Gift

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 6:23
 
Have you ever seen the movie It's a Wonderful Life?  It has to be one of the greatest American movies of all time, released in 1946.

The film stars George Bailey, a man whose dire circumstances result in a depression so bad he makes up his mind to take his own life on Christmas Eve.  Just as he is about to jump off a bridge, George's guardian angel, Clarence Odbody, makes himself known to George and intervenes on his behalf. Clarence then takes George on a journey,  showing him the impact his life has had on others and how their community would've been vastly different if George hadn't been born. George realizes that his life has immense value, no matter his circumstances.

We are so blessed to live in a country where we can celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ as a national holiday. His birth, His death, and His resurrection made it possible for us to have the gift of eternal life.

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." -Col 1:17
 
When we receive this precious gift, when we confess our sins and believe that Jesus died for our sins, we then carry this same gift of hope, love, grace, truth, and salvation wherever we go. God sends us as His representatives to a hurting world where His life and hope are needed. When we realize Jesus is the hope of our salvation, and when we realize just a piece of the depth of his love for us, we realize how much we matter. Jesus wouldn't have given His life for us if ours didn't matter to Him.

Do you know for certain you have received the gift of Jesus' salvation? Ask Him into your life today if you aren't quite sure. The gift of His son Jesus is the best gift we can receive in this life, and is the best gift we can give to others.