A Time To Grow

 

Has your faith been tested lately?

Did you shout with great joy when adversity hit you?

Or did you kick and scream trying to wrap your mind around why this or that was happening to you?

James 1:2-4, “Dear brothers and sisters when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”(NLT)

Have you stopped for a moment to consider your hardship as an opportunity?

That may seem impossible when we focus on the difficulty at hand.

However as I read this passage again and listened carefully, I could hear God whispering to my heart,

” let me help you grow. ”

When we look through human eyes and see the turmoil in our lives, we push back and refuse to consider that God wants to teach us something.

When we allow God into our hurts, disappointments, and struggles, it is there we can see our faith being to bloom.

A clenched fist opened in surrender, is the beginning of maturity.

No matter how hard we try to live a stress- free life, hardship is going to happen.

The next time you’re face to face with adversity, Consider it an invitation?

Yes, you’re going through difficulties, but God is there.

When you’re down on your knees, eyes looking up, God will lift you up.

When your mind races and the aching in your heart causes you to feel like you can’t breathe. Know that God sees the end, and He is asking you to trust him through the darkness.

Let yourself mature in the hard times as you allow God to develop you fully into the person He intended you to be.

The last part of verse 4 says ” You will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

Can you imagine?

You get bad news of some sort and instead of the usual temper-tantrum, Oh God why me?

You rest on the wings of His grace.

Surprised at the news, perhaps even sad. Remember, God will never leave you, He’s just growing you.

We are a work in progress and allowing God to shape our lives is the best place to be, because, in the end, we will be complete, needing nothing but Jesus.

Praying for you today,

Jamie

©2016