In this you greatly rejoice,
though now for a little while
you may have had to suffer grief
in all kinds of trials.
1 Peter 1:6
Grief and trials.
Have you had them?
Have they made you stronger?
The answer to both of those question is probably yes. Trials inevitably come. Indeed, they eventually come for all people. And trials tend to do one of two things: They either cripple us … or they make us stronger.
Often we get a little of both. They cripple us for a while … and then afterward, we realize that in spite of the toil and turmoil we’ve become a little stronger.
With this in mind, I can understand why Peter invites us to rejoice in the face of trials. We’re usually concerned with the immediate. But God is concerned with the final, eventual and eternal. Therefore …
· He’ll allow a few trials, believing that they can lead to trust.
· He’ll allow a bit of darkness, trusting that you’ll yearn for a little more light.
· He’ll allow a little adversity, trusting that suffering will produce a little more endurance, and endurance will produce a little more character, and character will produce a little more hope (see Romans 5:3-5).
We’re concerned with the immediate. God is concerned with the eternal.
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who’s not quite rejoicing over trials
but is trusting God in spite of them
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