Hard Times

Good morning! I hope that your weekend was refreshing and that you have hit the ground running this morning filled with energy and enthusiasm.

This past week was filled with some major challenges for my family and me. We have been attempting to resolve our housing issues here in Corpus Christi, but continue to face new hurdles and obstacles with each step (or so it seems). Of course, trouble rarely comes in single packages. On top of the housing issues we learned that the deep freeze in Pennsylvania had caused pipes to burst in our now vacant home and as of last count the bill was into the thousands of dollars range.

Maybe you’ve had weeks like that too. The car breaks down and the kids get sick. The company lays you off and the water heater goes out. When we have times like this our first inclination is usually to ask God “why?” “God, why are you doing this to me?” “God, why is this happening to me?” “God, why aren’t you helping me?” Sound familiar?

Today I want to share with you some thoughts on tough times. Look at the following passages from the book of James:

James 1:2-4 (HCSB)

Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

A couple of things I want you to see from this verse. First of all when need to step back and look at the big picture. Hard times are part of a refining process. Think about the forging of steel or the purification of gold. The processes of forging and refining require intense heat. Only after the metal is liquefied can the impurities be removed. The shaping also requires intense heat so that the metal is malleable. That is why we are instructed to “Consider it a great joy,” because the bigger picture shows us that we are being refined and strengthened.

I want you to notice the next point of these verses. Hard times produce endurance. Look back over your life for a moment. I want you to consider some of the adversities God has brought you through over the years. If you remember what it was like to be in the midst of some of those hard times, you probably didn’t think you would make it through…but you did! With each of those events in your life you became a little stronger. You met the next hardship with the confidence that God saw me through before…He can certainly see me through again. The hard times you face today are giving you the strength and courage for the obstacles that lie ahead of you.

Lastly, these trials are part of a maturing process. God is molding you and shaping you day by day. This is a lifelong process that doesn’t stop until we are ushered into His presence. Each day God is carefully working in and through your life, so that His glory is reflected in every area of your life. When life is at its worst, God is at His best. Those around you will see God’s strength and endurance shining through you.

This week you may be facing some difficult challenges, but take heart…every test has a beginning and ending. At some point this test will be over too.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl