Stronger from the Struggle

Have you ever felt like everything in your life is going wrong? Maybe your tired of trying to get back up when you fall...

Hey GEM Girls! If you can relate to question above, you are definitely not the only one who has ever felt like that! It's easy to get overwhelmed by the negative things in our lives. Sometimes it's way too easy to be so caught up in feeling sorry for ourselves, that we forget to grow through the pain.

One of the people that comes to mind when I think about "everything going wrong" is Joseph. He was his father's favorite son. The second youngest of many brothers, Joseph had a bright future ahead of him. But things took a turn for the worse when jealousy got the best of his brothers and they sold him as a slave! Traveling with the caravan of slave traders headed for Egypt, it must have seemed to Joseph like things couldn't get much worse.

After being sold to Potiphar things seemed to be getting better for him as he was trusted to run Potiphar's household. But again, life threw a curveball his way. Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph and when he refused her she accused him of assaulting her! Instead of believing Joseph, Potiphar threw him in prison.

If I was Joseph I think I would have given up right there, but he continued to trust God even when he was in prison for a very long time. We all know how that story ends. Joseph ends up becoming second in command to Pharoah himself!

Trials and painful experiences are certainly not pleasant, but they have a purpose. Just recently I watched a chick hatch from its egg. After the initial crack was made, hours passed before the chick was able to break it open. My friends and I cheered when we saw the tiny wet chick peek out of the cracked shell. As the chick struggled to be free of the cumbersome half-shell it somehow became trapped under it. Every time the poor thing tried to get up, the shell would push it down again. It was painful to watch. I wanted to reach out and take the shell off of its back. But my friend told me, "No, you can't help it! This is an important time of its life! Without the struggle, it would be too weak and die! The chicks need to experience this to be stronger!"

In many ways, we are like that chick struggling and stumbling through life. We are young, inexperienced, and we make a lot of mistakes. I am sure that Jesus wishes He could just take away our pain too, but then we would never grow stronger.

"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." James 1:12

No matter what struggle you may be going through right now, just remember that every trial is an opportunity for growth. Look for the ways you could grow through the unpleasant experience... You'll be surprised at what you discover!

How have you seen God working in your life through trials? Share an experience you've had in the comments below.

Love,

Your Sister in Christ,