Tests, Trials or Trouble?

This has been an interesting time with no posts.  Sometimes life just gets in the way and there is no time to even take a deep breath.  Sometimes we don't have the energy to take that desperately needed breath.  Even though my blogging fingers have been silent, my heart has not and my faith has been quietly reinforced.  With several events pressing against my heart and my emotions, I sat in church on Sunday and was reassured what I thought happened.

We all have tests and trials and trouble in our lives.  I was reminded that problems are inevitable (of course we know that as we wait sometimes for the proverbial "other shoe" to fall), problems are unpredictable (the one thing we know for certain is there will be some kind of trouble at some point but the extent of and design of we have no idea), problems are always purposeful.  In saying they are purposeful does not mean that we will ever or always know the purpose.

James Chapter 1 states "² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

We always find it curious here that we are to "consider it pure joy" or "count it all joy" when we experience trials but it doesn't hurt to be reminded that we are being given the trial to purify our faith and make us more like Jesus.  More complete.  The outcome of the trials we go through is really what is more important.  How did we respond to the troubles?  Did we react to it or did we rejoice in the process of becoming more like Christ?  Did we reject a solution or did we request to have the wisdom given to us to deal with the trial in the best manner? God promises to give us wisdom if we ask for it without doubting He will provide it.  Don't be wishy washy about it. Go boldlyto the throne of grace.  Ask for it and believe that it will be given and then look inside yourself for the solution.  Proverbs tells us several things about wisdom and planning.  Proverbs 15:16 "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."  Proverbs 13:10 "Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice." and so on.

Sometimes, I am convinced, it is not about us and our grooming but about the reflection of Christ in our life and how someone else perceives how we are dealing with the situations we are given.  Are we reacting well?  Are we letting go and letting God handle to situation?  Are we rejoicing or are we pining away about how difficult it is?  Trials are having our feet held to the fire to have the impurities cooked right out of us.  Consider what a lump of gold goes through to become a beautiful ring.  It is heated with intense heat more than once and its entire outward appearance is changed completely to be unrecognizable from what it originally was.  THAT is the purpose of our trials, tests and troubles.