Day 25: Faith in Hardships

 Reading: Psalm 15:1-5

Many times we question the hardship in our lives and want to know why God lets them happen. Though hardships are not a pleasant time of life, there is much you can learn from them, if you allow them to grow you. When we allow our circumstances to grow us, we can find ourselves in the presence of God through our growth. We read in this psalm who can come into the Lord's presence, and these same principals can apply when we face hardships:
Acting right and blameless, being truthful, not gossiping, not hurting others, keeping your word, being generous, and being honest.
All seem to make sense, but in the midst of hardship, how many times do we want to lash out or lie? If we can control ourselves through the tough times, we can find ourselves growing and become stronger for the next time we experience those hardships. "Such people will stand firm forever."

When have you lashed out because of a hard time you were experiencing?



How can you remember that trials are a time of growth for your character the next time you are in that position?





Reading: Matthew 17:14-18:9

Sometimes we can never know what causes our suffering, and all we can do is cling to faith. We read about how the disciples failed to heal a boy from his seizures, and Jesus tells them it's because they didn't have enough faith. He says that even faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. The man's faith heals the boy.
We also get to see what Jesus does to prevent suffering as He insists on paying the temple tax so no one is offended. I've learned on mission trips to other countries that you respect the culture in wearing proper attire, even if it's not comfortable to you back home. This allows you to witness to others without putting attention on yourself. As long as what you do doesn't cross lines in your faith, respecting other cultures and people can get you far in faith.
Finally Jesus stands up against suffering by warning anyone who causes temptation or to cause someone to fall will be punished greatly. He takes a very radical stand against sin, saying to get rid of anything that causes it immediately. This can apply in our lives to the people we surround ourselves with. If it causes you to sin, cast it off as soon as you can. Sin causes suffering, and unfortunately, we usually do it to ourselves in the decisions we make. Have faith that God will take care of you and follow His direction to a better life.

When have you needed more faith in your life?



What is causing you to sin? What must you do to wipe it out of your life?




Reading: Genesis 49:1-50:26

Even through Joseph's crazy life, he recognizes God's hand in everything that happened to him. He knows there was a reason for his suffering and he is grateful for it, as it put him in the position of great power and authority. Joseph had great faith when it came to trusting that God would take care of him and allow him to see his family again. When we reflect back to today's Psalm reading for today, we see that Joseph follows the characteristics well as he goes through what he did.
As Jacob lies on his deathbed, he says quite powerful things about Joseph compared to his other brothers, showing that Joseph led a wonderful legacy through the life he lived.
We can approach our struggles the same way Joseph did in giving in to faith instead of bitterness. Remember to let the hardships grow you.

What kind of legacy do you think you leave when you react to the hardships in your life?




What kind of faith do you have when struggles come your way?



Hardships and struggles are certainly inevitable in this life. We'll all see our fair share (or not so fair share) of them and react in different ways. But to react to hardships with faith can be a hard task within itself. When we allow our struggles to grow us, rather than to defeat us, we come out stronger and closer to God. How do you deal with life's struggles?