When Troubles Come Your Way...

This week at church I was talking to a very wise women (thanks Julie :-)) about her experience with sorrowful and troubled times. We also talked about her joyful times and how they go hand in hand together. In her mind they can't be separated. (It is so true how we really don't have one without the other.) A few years back she had sat in with a group of ladies and was heart broken in how they viewed life. They all felt that they couldn't wait for better/more joyful times and were tired of living with troubles. I guess it depends on how you look at your troubles. You can take it as just a icky, horrible point in your life and wish for happier times or you can take your troubles and see the joy or growth that comes from God by living through them and actually live those happier times. "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles 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." ~ James 1:2-4 Talking about this and thinking this all through made me think of this book I read to our boys called "The Person I Marry" by the same author, Gary Bower, of the book called "There is a Party in Heaven." Both are great, adorable books. Anyways, here is the quote that had me thinking:

All days won't be sunny; and during the rain,

my partner and I will be slow to complain.

We'll stick together the way that we vowed

no matter how dark and looming the cloud.

We'll look on the bright side. All hope isn't gone.

Our Lord just decided to water our lawn.

In loosing our little one last year we learned so much from God and how true His word is. I have probably spoke about this before but here is another reminder, how we can have joy in our troubles. Rick and I know this to be true, we experienced it first hand. We could have just looked at our whole situation as a sorrowful pit that we couldn't get out of (the heart break sure hurt enough) like the ladies only seeing their problems. But instead letting God into our lives and letting Him guide us and be there for us, we were able to find His joy, a joy that comes from growing in Him. If you look at your troubles as a horrible storm or rainy days, it is like having a garden or lawn, without the rain or water your garden or lawn would die and would not grow. I believe that our walk as Christian follows the same pattern. If we didn't have these troubles how would we ever grow and learn more about our loving God. Rick and I both agree, if we had never experienced loosing a child and going through a miscarriage we definitely would not have as deep of a relationship with our Lord, as we do now. We trust Him and have faith that He will guide us with that overflowing joy and peace in our hearts. "We are strong enough" with God, to have the endurance to go through the troubles of living in this world because of sin, with joy and needing nothing else but God and the love of Jesus. That is my prayer for myself and for you as my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Love Steph