I have to admit that week two, day one's lesson really made an impact on me when I did this study the first time. Doing the study the second time, made me fall down on my knees and praise God for being my Savior and allowing me to learn something every time I open His Word!
It was late February when I was doing week two the first time, and one of the questions asked me to talk about a recent time of hardship. I felt I was in a period of down time in my life right then. A year before I took my mom to the hospital with a severe fall, which ultimately ended in the final two weeks of her life. So at the time I was doing this week of the study I was reliving the final couple of weeks of my mom's life. I had cared for my mom day in and day out for many, many months, before she passed away. It was difficult to lose her and a year later, I was defintely, and am still, missing her. One of the next questions asked me to describe in colors the hardship - I said blue and white - blue for the grief and white for the security of Christ's salvation and knowing that one day I'll be with my mom again.
Late in April, I'm doing week two again, with another group of ladies, and I come across these questions and as I answer this question and I think well, this time I'm facing back surgery for the second time in two years. The colors I chose blue and green - blue for safety of my home that God has blessed me with (the color of my living room walls) and green the color of the beautiful trees that I see each day as I am able to sit with my dad on the porch and look at God's creations as I recover!
James 1:2-3 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, becasue you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."
Do you consider the trials, hardships, whatever you would describe what you have gone through, are going through or will go through, "pure joy"? As a child of God do you realize that these are times that we learn and grow. Do you realize these are times that God can prune us? Do you realize that as Beth Moore told us these are times that we become reapers! We have an opportunity to become reapers of God's blessings. A year ago, I sat beside my mother's bed and read John 15 to her over and over. I shared with her with I was going to say at a women's conference a month after she passed away. I was able to share with her what God was doing in my life and I didn't even really know what He was doing. What a blessing. I wasn't robbed. This year as I recover from a second back surgery, I am blessed by a family of sisters and brothers in Christ that have provided meals for my family so that my husband doesn't have to cook while I recover. I am blessed by a family of sisters and brothers in Christ that are praying for me to be completely healed from a problem that I have dealt with physically for some time. I'm not being robbed. I am reaping blessing upon blessing.
How will you view the next hardship or trial you face? Will your faith develop perseverance? Ask God to grow your faith! I'm praying for God to grow mine.
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