Stuff happens. We all know that. But did you know that when we face it a challenge or trial that it is one of God's ways of showing us His love? Hebrews 12:6 tells us "My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline, but don't be crushed by it either. It's the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects." (Msg) And we're supposed find joy even in stress-filled situations. "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." (James 1:2-4 Msg)
Many times we think that if something is happening to us that we don't like then God must have turned his head for a minute and let something bad slip up on us. Because if we don't like it then it can't be from God, can it? But if these scriptures mean what they say, then we should praise God and know that he loves us even during the worst part of the trial and not wait until it is over to give him praise. If we are being chastened, it means God loves us. When we see the trial as a gift from God, we display the spiritual maturity of one who trusts God for who he is, and not for what he has done for us lately.
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