"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sister, whenever you face trials of many kinds," - James 1:2
As I have walked the line of unknowns, trials, tests, burdens, feeling like a burden all my life, (don't we all feel like we walk this line?) I find this verse intriguing. And over the last several years it has actually been the one that pops into my head most on any given day. That is why I have considered this to be my next "series" in this blog, and furthermore, the topic most likely to become my book someday, as it is one that continues to affect all of us. So without further ado...
Last week was a hard week for the Ruhlig bank account. I get text alerts when our bank account is low and I woke up every morning to a "warning" that we were at $4.91 all week. Talk about anxiety every morning. Sunday - Thursday. The best part is we didn't touch it. The number stayed above 0 all week despite auto bills and forgotten checks. That happens occasionally for us. We end up diving into reserves in the freezer and living on Ramen Noodles, but we always come out the other side. I can't say we're always proud of those moments, but it's a reality we fall into from time to time when the license plates ended up costing way more than we thought, or the gas to get to the appointment was a little unexpected, or that appliance/car/sink/house broke again, or there was a gift to pitch in for and shame didn't allow us to say "can't right now". The bills were paid, but we didn't go nuts last week. Sometimes we're short because of unexpected things, sometimes because we simply didn't think ahead well enough, but we try to learn each time. This is just one of those trials in life we occasionally face that we keep trying to grow from and plan better for. Sometimes inevitable, other times we just make a dumb choice and get forgetful about an expense.
We can learn from our trials, whether we bring them upon ourselves or not.
Aside from considering trials joys in James 1:2, the next thing we have to notice is that word "whenever". This insinuate they will happen to all of us. If you're living life, breathing air, dealing with other humans, failing body parts, and fickle finances, trials are gonna happen, y'all. This series is going to get personal because truth is we all deal with storms. So what if I challenge your thinking a little bit today in stating that perhaps the trials we are facing are ones we may be "called" to? Hang with me a second.
Every single one of us comes with a unique set of gifts, skills, achievements, etc. But every single one of us also comes with brokenness, failures, struggles, weaknesses, etc. Am I depressing you yet? Keep with me.
So with this reasoning, we can't help but know that our trials, hardships, struggles, etc. are brought about by our own set of unique traits. Some seem unfair and never asked for. Some we bring upon ourselves when we make terrible decisions. Either way, they are considered our trials. But our trials make us who we are. And later on as we continue to talk about them in this series, I'll point out just how we can respond in healthy and not so healthy ways, but consider today that whether you brought upon the hardships you face this very moment yourself, or if they are ones you never asked for, perhaps there is a reason.
Perhaps you are called to the trials you face. Let me say it a different way...
Perhaps you are meant to face this storm for a reason much greater than you.
Because down the road, perhaps years from now, someone else will face it too, and need you to show them they will make it through.
Because down the road, perhaps years from now, you will look back and be able to see so clearly how God's hand was all over you in the midst of that storm, and that realization itself brings about a powerful feeling that your God is so incredibly sovereign.
Because down the road, perhaps years from now, you will see the reason, even if now you can't. Even if you don't see it until you're standing face to face with your Creator.
What if we started owning our trials? Not intentionally sinning and falling into the trials of our choices, but what if we took our terrible situations and look for the Real, Powerful, Silver Lining that is actually the Light of our Savior? This may sound naive if you are walking the difficult road of something hard right now, but trust me here. Trust HIM here. What if you are called to be at rock bottom? Not to be tormented, but to actually see Who the Rock is? Because I think as humans, we will search every tangible option we can before reaching out in faith to the only One Who can actually be Our Rock.
"You call me out upon the waters, the great unknown where feet may fail..." - Oceans (Hillsong)
What if it is true He does call us out into the waves and wind where we have no idea what's going to happen? Aren't these the best times to grow though? For me, those were oddly the golden times of growth, and I pray that they continue to be times of growth with every twist, turn, frustration, and annoyance of the storms I face. I pray I can draw close to Him in the midst of current storms and future storms, because that is the position I need to take to live up to the calling of my storms. May we fulfill the calling well.
Read:
Mark 14:22-33, James 1:2-4
Ask:
When was a time you felt rock bottom? Do you recall feeling God's presence in that time?
How might we be called to a storm in life?
What happens when we try to walk through a storm by our own power or other peoples' power? What happens when we actually reach out to God's power?
