Not If, But When

Good Morning!! Life is made up of both good and bad times. There's a Chinese proverb which states," A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a person perfected without trials."  I'm amazed at how often some people seem to be caught off guard, when ever life doesn't go perfectly. If Christ's life, while He was on earth, wasn't fully blissful,...then why would we expect ours to be? "Troubles will come." and I know this to be true, from dealing with my own present trials, and past troubles. But there is an understanding, and a general philosophy, that has helped me to endure, and get by. Interestingly, there are lots of examples and references throughout the Bible that echo the same sentiment.

The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: " Lord, save me!" The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, He saved me.—Psalm 116:3,4-6,7 (NIV)

When I look back at those hard times of my life, I have learned, that each time I stumbled and fell, it did not break me,...but helped to refine my walk with God. As I faced my own sins, I learned what my weaknesses are, so that I could put up more strict boundaries; saying no more easily, rather than yes to actions and words that I know to be displeasing to God. Rather than hold on to guilt over past repentant mistakes,...I'm learning to embraced God's merciful grace and love,...using the testimony of my past, to tell others of God's love and grace. "If God forgave me,...surly He can, and will forgive you too."

We can use our mistakes to gather and learn wisdom,...or we can let those bumps in the road permanently knock us off course.

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Just as we have a choice whether or not we'll accept a relationship with our Creator,...we also get to choose how we will handle suffering, trials and errors,
...even if we don't get to choose if and when they come.

"It's so easy for people wonder if God really loves them, especially when bad things happen. And that's just what Satan wants, for us to doubt God,...to doubt His Word, and His Power."