Lessons For Life

Remember studying for the test? What? You never did that? Yeah, right.

I was nerd enough to listen in class, but I didn’t go overboard cracking textbooks after school. I learned early on most teachers test on their lectures, not the book. I met a few exceptions to that rule, but not many.

When facing a trial in life (like my current issues with storms), I’ve heard many good folks ask the excellent question, “What’s God trying to teach you?” I’ve asked myself this question, in fact, and last week came up with a possible answer.

However, like Job’s dear but wrong friends, sometimes that question doesn’t apply. Job’s story, to me, shows God teaching Satan a lesson, and using Job to do it. Job may have learned some things along the way, but I don’t think that was the ultimate goal.

Since I’m really hoping I’m not part of a bet between God and Satan, I’ll stick with the “lessons to be learned” reason for now. It helps me see an end to my current issues.

But therein lies the rub, and the concern. I don’t want to study just to pass this one test.

As a Christian, I’m in training. God provides trials (not temptations; there’s a difference) to prepare me to face bigger trials.

Because Christians face trials. We’re aliens in this world, and the world hates us for it. Of course we’ll hit trouble when we walk as Jesus walked. They hated Him first.

If God is training me to trust Him during storms and help others to trust Him during storms, odds are its because I’m going to see storms and so are other people. This means my goal can’t be just to “make it through this” and do whatever it takes to get a passing grade.

This trust in God is something I must master. Without it, I won’t be able to face the next storm, and the next, and the next.

Oh, how I want it to be over. I want to wake up one day and know we are out of storm season and I don’t have to worry for another two months or six months or twelve months.

But that isn’t really learning the lesson, is it? The lesson is to trust God in all things, all trials, all circumstances, all storms, all the time. To learn that means I must accept that my life will always contain storms of one kind or another and God will always be in control when they happen.  This is a much harder lesson.

I am determined to learn it. Like Paul, I want to learn to be content in all circumstances. I’d rather not have to, but if I have to, I want mastery of that particular skill.

God gave me Psalm 32 last week. This part in particular stuck out.

“Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.” Psa. 32: 9-10 NIV

I want to be a faithful daughter, not a stubborn mule. I want to know when I cry to my Daddy, He hears and answers me. Praise His patience, He’s teaching me, but I’m pretty slow, so it may take a while.

Thank you all for your prayers on my behalf. My prayer for you this week is God will show you His faithfulness in your storms, whatever they may be.

What’s been the hardest part of your training as a Christian? How has God been faithful to you?