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?

Commitment

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” –Hebrews 12:1 & 2



True commitment is so rare in our culture. It's difficult to find someone who will do what they say – and stick it out until the end. Commitment is hard. You have to be one of 2% that will truly follow through with pursuing the things they say they want to, whether it’s building a business, launching a career, losing weight, or staying married for a lifetime.

I believe commitment is the defining factor between someone who will fulfill the desires of their hearts and someone who won’t.

When you're committed, you work hard.  You persevere.  Commitment takes courage. It’s not dependent on circumstance. Commitment says, “I will do this, even though ‘this and that’ may happen, and they may do ‘this or that’.” Commitment takes looking at the hard things in life. Maybe we fear failure, and that's why we don't commit. Maybe it hasn't worked out before, and that's why we don't commit. We need to get past our insecurities and take action! We need to set the course for our lives.  Only then will we be able to see what God may have in store.

When we’re faithful to God and His plan for our lives, we will find Him to be faithful to us. “To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless…” (2 Sam 22:26, Ps 18:25) We have to discover where our dreams and God's plan align.  We need to be moldable and shapeable through the twists and turns of life, but still remain committed.

Are you able to commit to a dream, a job, a goal, a relationship? Maybe you need to commit yourself fully to your heavenly Father. Whatever it may be, ask God to help you. In Christ, we can do all things. (Phil 4:19)

The God-Squeeze

"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved." Matthew 9:17

Occasionally God will bring us to a place where he squeezes the life out of us. Yup, that's right. We don't actually die - although it sure can feel like it! God does this to move us forward, help us realize something about ourselves, or put his finger on sin in our lives. Often it could be a combination of all of these.
 
When we feel uncomfortable in our walk with God, it might be an indication that God is trying to move us forward, out of the mediocre, out of the desert, out of slavery, and/or out of Egypt. Often we won't know what it is God is trying to do until we move forward in Him. It is then that we can move past the discomfort into a place that may require more responsibility, more purity, or more strength or endurance, but certainly greater authority.
 
Growing is uncomfortable. It requires overcoming. Growing requires doing something when we don't feel like it. It may require admitting sin or beginning from a place of humility. Whatever type of "God-squeeze" you are experiencing, know that it is a part of God's plan to bring about his perfect will in your life. "...for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor 12:9b
 
How will you respond? Take up the challenge to pull through.