It's a Difficult Thing to Do

The world is crazy.  Bad things just keep happening.  I'm disappointed so often.  I've lost so many people I love - one person in particular who should still be here.

God tells us through James to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.' James 1: 2 & 3.

How I can I consider it all joy?  I'm not happy about any of it.

Ok, I know that happiness is not the same as joy.  Happiness depends on my circumstances and joy comes from the condition of my soul.  But persevering is a difficult thing to do.  It's easier to give up when the going gets tough - get frustrated, get angry, get bitter, blame someone else.  Our culture teaches us to choose the 'easy' way, the fast way - where can I get immediate gratification?

God says to you and to me today that these choices don't lead to maturity and completeness.

As I look back on my 'trials of many kinds', I can see God working through each of them.  The rear view mirror often shows these things most clearly.  He guided me, he comforted me and, probably most directly affecting my faith, he taught me many things about myself and about him.

One of the major lessons he gave me was the need for me to trust him in all of it.  That was difficult to do when my son, David Glasser, who was a Phoenix Police officer, was killed in the line of duty over 7  years ago.  As I leaned on God through this tragedy, I gradually learned to filter everything through these facts I know are true about God:

God is good, all the time.

God loves me with a perfect love and nothing is impossible for him.

God wants the best for me and he is working all things out for my good.

He is God, I am not. (This last one is very important to remember).

I have persevered through this tragedy, standing on these truths about God with a huge hole in my life and a heart broken into a million pieces.  Somehow this is the best for me.  Somehow God is working this all out for good for me.  I have learned a lot about trusting God on a whole new level - even when it doesn't make sense.

God has been seriously working on maturing my faith.  Trusting him with all of this has deepened my love for him and helped me have a better understanding of how dependent I am on him.  I've been changed.  My eyes are refocused on God and my 'forever home' with him.

Trusting God, I have decided to persevere and grow my faith through my trials with him by my side.
 
He knows what's best.