The Process That Leads to...Pure Joy!

A friend and I were texting each other recently regarding a particular area of struggle in her life. She told me she was sure that she had been offered a test from God, and she had failed by making the wrong decision. My friend told me she was tired of struggling with this particular issue, and just wanted to grow beyond struggling in that area of her life.

These sentiments rang so familiar to me! How often have I wanted to just kick myself for not having made the better choice, leaving me to feel like maybe I had missed out on God’s blessing in my life. I was reminded that often times it is easy to look at life as a series of successes and failures; good decisions and bad decisions. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It is good to look back and learn from the bad stuff, and also be encouraged by the good experiences. However, it is important to avoid getting stuck in the quicksand of our failures. I have learned to remember to find a balance by reminding myself that I am still My Creator’s work in progress. So much of the situations that we find ourselves in, are part of the process of God’s work in our lives. It is easy to focus on the difficulty of the moment, and miss the fact that the difficulty threatens to blind us to the presence of God in that moment!

I remember a few months ago as I was thinking about the relationships children have with their siblings and their friends, how often we, as moms, have to walk them through a rocky moment with another child. I said, half to myself, “Why do we have to go through these struggles?” Immediately, these words came to mind, “because without a struggle, you and your children cannot know Me.” Whoa! Doesn’t that sound backwards? It’s not. When everything is nice and sweet, we tend to back away from God because we often don’t feel our need for Him. But, as soon as it gets tough, there we are, back on our knees again!

In the end, my friend and I understood that our successes and failures are all a part of the process of His work in our lives. They go hand in hand. Why? Because He is in the process just as much, if not more, than He is in the end result. It is like He slowly lifts a veil to reveal His face to us for the particular situation we’re in. The difficulty is meant to lead us to catch a glimpse of the Lord, in all of His glory!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

James 1:2-4