Several years ago, my mom gave each of us girls a book entitled Finding God's Path Through Your Trials by Elizabeth George. The goal was that we would each be able to read it throughout the year and have something to share with each other, and also that it might be helpful and a good resource. Well, I admit that I got about one chapter in and ended up putting it away. Not because I didn't like it or wasn't appreciative, but I just found myself too busy and distracted. I shouldn't have done that, but we can't change the past.
Right now, my hubby and I are going through a particularly difficult trial. One that I'm not going to get into too much on here, but the hardest thing I think I have ever faced. I have been questioning God, sometimes crying out, WHY? Why are you putting us through this? Why are you putting everything we have, all that we hope to do in the future, all that we have worked for in jeporady? And while I don't expect God to suddenly come down and share his reasons or his plan for the future with us, I have taken encouragement in knowing that he has a plan. That he is transcendent, outside of time and space, and knows the whole picture. But it isn't enough to just know this. Yesterday in church, I felt the conviction of my own laziness and selfishness. Today I was looking around the house, not for anything in particular, but for something to read, to focus my mind back on God. Something that might give me a direction to go besides just picking up the Bible and choosing a random page from the hundreds available. I haven't been good in the past at knowing where to look in the Bible, especially when I don't know exactly what to look for. But my mind was taken back to that book... the one about trials Mom had given us so long ago... and I picked it up again to read with new desire.
It begins with looking at James 1:2 "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds," and focuses on the first four words... Count it all joy. And through the next few chapters elaborates on how to count trials as joy and how we are obedient to God when we do. One of the assignments the author gave her Bible study class to do, she suggested we do at home as well. "For one week keep a journal of your trials, how you chose to count them as joy, and any results." To be disciplined to evaluate the trials we face from God's perspective, choosing to count them as all joy. It's an assignment that I'm going to try to do this week. I won't be sharing it on here as the trial we are going through right now isn't something I feel comfortable sharing in detail about yet, but if you wanted to join me in this exercise, I'd be interested in knowing what you learn and how you do.
Isn't it amazing that although you didn't need the lessons in the book when your mom gave it to you, God knew that you would have it when you DID need it.
ReplyDeleteI'll be praying that whatever you are going through that He will carry you through and give you peace and assurance that you are not alone.