“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
~James 1:2-4
At 40 years of age, after the heartbreak of 3 miscarriages, consigning herself to the (then) reality that our one daughter would likely be the only daughter we’d bring into the world, my bride Lisa awakened me one early Sunday morning with a seemingly strange request. “Go right now to the pharmacy and buy a pregnancy test!”, she ordered. Although I thought her request ridiculous, since we didn’t “get” pregnant, I went and did as she asked; sure enough, after doing the test twice, she was in fact pregnant!
This pregnancy would prove to be difficult. Lisa suffered greatly with endless nausea and vomiting, landing her in the hospital for 13 days during the first trimester. We prayed without ceasing, and “held our breath” as this child developed perfectly healthy. Because of the robust size of this baby the doctor induced Lisa at 38 weeks. Baby Elli exceeded all expectations weighing in at 9.2 pounds!
There are many metaphors in this world of how the Lord uses adversity to strengthen and ultimately benefit us, here are a few:
-Iron ore is broken into pieces, thrust into a blast furnace, beaten and pounded, The product of this violent process is forged steel.
– The butterfly most struggle on its own to emerge from the cocoon. Without this struggle it would live a shortened life, unable to even fly, its development arrested.
-To ascend mountains, climbers must traverse valleys, deal with narrow paths, slippery slopes, and even sheer walls and cliffs.
– The generation of American men and women who battled the forces of evil during WWII came to be known as “the greatest generation”.
– Our brothers and sisters in many countries today, such as Iran, Vietnam, China, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia face the threat of death constantly, but even as their adversaries seek to kill them, they seek the Lord, praying, worshipping, encouraging one another-
and their numbers grow exponentially.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon said,
“Hope itself is like a star- not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. ”
However uncomfortable and difficult, adversity polishes, refines, and strengthens us.
Do not run from adversity, beloved; rather, run towards it and face it down,
fix your gaze not on the trouble but on our Heavenly Father, His Word, His Light.
He promises that He will never leave us or forsake us.
The Reward is waiting.