8 Principles for a Joyful Life - #7

Principle #7 - Change Your Perspective on Going Through Difficult Times (aka Trials)

I'm grateful for trials! That sounds like an oxymoron in a country where people escape from pain, whether physical or emotional, any way they can.

As I mentioned before, I trusted Christ as my Savior at age 32. Words to describe me then: selfish, immature, emotional mess. Just as a parent disciplines a child, so God began to discipline me. Like most good Americans, I sought relief when difficulties rained upon me. It took years for me to understand that trials are God's tool for getting rid of the junk in me.

When I read Hebrews 12:10b-11 I started to understand why so many trials bubbled up like a broken water main in my life. These verses say,

God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

God allowed temporary pain in order to bring long-lasting peace and joy. He used trials to eventually produce fruit in my life. I think of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers. He later recognized that what his brothers meant for harm, God meant for good in order to save many from famine. While he lay forgotten in an Egyptian prison, he probably didn't have a clue that God would elevate him to second in command in Egypt.

We don't know how God wants to use trials in our lives. Only God sees the big picture. However, through the Scriptures, we can glean several reasons for trials. Let's look at a few.

1. To prove that our faith is real. Listen to 1 Peter 1:6b-7.

Now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

The apostles said to Jesus in Luke 17:5, "Increase our faith!" Do you ever pray that prayer? I do. How do we increase our faith? Romans 10:17 says, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

We build up our faith by consistently reading the Bible and spending time in prayer. When we go through trials, we get a picture of how strong our faith is. Do we run to Jesus when difficulties come, or do we look for other sources of comfort?

We have heard that faith is like a muscle; the more we use it the stronger it becomes. True! I trained as a clown when I was a new Christian. I started a clown ministry at our church, and we had 13 clowns who served in the children's ministry every month. I trusted God to put the clown ministry together and to keep it going. My new faith got stronger as I watched God work through the clown ministry. Years later, when God opened the door for me to do a TV show, I remembered His provision when I did the clown ministry. God strengthened my faith enough so that I could obey His call to start a TV show.

2. Another way God uses trials is to make us more like Christ.

In Romans 8:29 we see that God predetermined that we would be conformed to the likeness of Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 3:18 we have an affirmation that God is doing that.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

To think that God could take selfish, messed-up me and transform me into the likeness of Christ blows my mind! When Steve and I first got married, I criticized how he took care of the yard, how he dressed, and other petty things. That is opposite of the gentle, kind, patient spirit of Christ. Eventually God convicted me of that sin, and I started working on getting rid of the critical spirit. Thirty years later it is gone. When I'm tempted to tell God to stop the trials (not that He would), I think about how He worked through tough times to rid me of a critical spirit.

3. God uses trials to develop our character.

Romans 5:3 says,

We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope.

I needed a big dose of training in perseverance. My parents taught me honesty, truthfulness, and respect for authority, but not perseverance. I started Junior Achievement in middle school, but when I couldn't sell our product, my dad told me to quit. In high school, I starting training to babysit special needs kids, but my dad told me to quit because he was afraid I couldn't handle a child with special needs. I was schooled in quitting rather than perseverance. I wonder if that's why I kept trying to take my life before I knew Christ. I saw no other way out, so I wanted to give up on life. I marvel that God could take a quitter like me and turn me into a disciplined, hang-in-there person who carries out responsibilities and completes projects.

Character also means courage, honor, strength, and integrity. God wants to work all of those things into us. He wants us to "become blameless and pure. . .in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life." (Philippians 2:15) People of character shine and draw others to Christ. . .a great reason to endure trials with grace!

4. Trials make us ready to help other people. Listen to this.

Praise be to . . .the Father of compassion and the God all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

Max Lucado wrote a great book called, It's Not About Me. The sub-title is Rescue from the Life We Thought Would Make us Happy. Media outlets fling America's slogan at us: "It's All About Me." It seems logical that the more money, time, and pleasure we lavish on ourselves, the happier we should be. However, the opposite is true. The more we focus on ourselves, the more we'll experience misery and discontent. Focusing on God and helping people leads to a joy-filled life.The more we deny ourselves, as Jesus said, the deeper our joy.

I recently met a young man named Chris. He abused drugs and alcohol in college. One night he made the choice to ride with a drunken friend who crashed his car. Chris ended up a paraplegic. Instead of becoming bitter, Chris relied on God to help him rebuild his life. He wrote a book about his experience and also speaks to groups across the country, using himself as an example of the consequences of drugs and alcohol. Chris could have turned inward and made his life all about him. Who would have blamed him? Because he focused on God instead, Chris lives a joyful life. God gave him a beautiful wife who's a physical therapist, and they have a young son. God also made it possible for Chris to attend Dallas Theological Seminary, where he's currently training for ministry.

5. God teaches us to depend on Him through trials.

We know the verse, "Apart from Me (Christ) you can do nothing." (John 15:5) ) Our culture again invades our thinking and teaches us to be independent, strong, and self-reliant. We often rely on our natural abilities and talents to make it through life. Until, that is, something comes along that lays us low. For me, that something was my health. Living with fibromyalgia for over 25 years caused me to become dependent on Christ.

In my pain, fatigue, and weakness, I constantly cry out to God for strength. My "making it through verse" is "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13). I picture Jesus holding me by the hand, and I keep going when I would rather languish in bed. I spoke for Christian Women's Club for over three years. As I was being introduced, I prayed for strength and quoted Philippians 4:13 to myself. Then, when it was time for me to speak, I got up and energy flowed through me. I spoke with enthusiasm for 30 minutes as many as three or four times a week. God did that!

As we go through trials in this life, let's remember that God is working in ways we cannot imagine. Someday the trials will end. From a heavenly vantage point, we will see that what we gained from going through trials was worth the pain! So, let's do what it says in James 1:2 and "consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds."