A Long Difficult Road

I recently stopped in to help a retired missionary with a small project at her house. I've been to this house many times over the years for different reasons. To play basketball with her sons. To visit her children when they were home on furlough from the mission field. To celebrate birthdays. Most recently to help move her in her home after she officially retired. Of all the times I've been to the home I've never thought much about the items hanging on the walls. There are items like in any home, such as pictures and decorative items. Hanging on the wall beside the front door is a new addition to the items hanging around the house. There is a sign that says "Family" and under that it reads Psalm 126:3, "The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad."

To many they would look at this and see a sign that shows a family celebrating God's blessings. Considering the events that have shaped this family into their current position one would think the last thing this family would be celebrating is God's blessings. This godly woman's husband died 15 years ago after many years on the mission field in Indonesia. Her daughter has faced health issues from time to time that have made life challenging. One of her sons died unexpectedly nearly two years ago at the age of 36 and left behind a wife and three children. Two of her other grandchildren have had major health scares over the last few years and one is still struggling with her health. Her father just recently passed away and her mother lives alone up north. So from an external view, celebrating God's blessings would not be the first thing that would come to mind from the casual outside observer. But that view is from a view that does not include the lens of faith.

When we look at someone who has struggled through difficult situations in this life, and maybe it's even been you, we think "Wow! They have suffered a great deal." We might compare them to Job who lost everything short of his wife and even she wasn't a supportive person during his trials. We can look on situations like these and have a profound sense of pity for those who are enduring hardships like these. However, maybe we should change our perspective of their situation and even our own when it seems like the world is crashing down around us. When we recall the words of James in James 1:2-3 we can gain a new perspective of our struggles. It says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (NIV). When we face difficult trials in life we need to view it from the perspective that it is a faith strengthening exercise. That is not always easy to do in the midst of our struggle but as we see our trial in this different light it can show us that God is using the trial for our good (Romans 8:28). Something interesting begins to emerge when we do not lose our faith perspective during our trials. We have a new perspective of the God who loves us and walks us through those times of trial. When we see God's provision, His grace, and His mercy on display in our times of trial we begin to worship Him in a new way. We begin, in the midst of a trial, to worship the One who was with us long before the trial arrived and who will be with us long after the trial has ended. In the end, our trials will develop a new found strength in our faith that will allow us to say, "The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad."

I'm sure you probably know someone who is going through a difficult trial in their life right now. Share this post with them via Facebook, Twitter, or email so that God can use it to encourage them in the midst of their trial.


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