Day 25: Transformed by Trouble

This was a bit of a tough chapter. I don't like to sit and think about why bad things have happened to me, or why I have had pain in my life. But...after reading this chapter...maybe I should spend more time thinking about my trials and tribulations. After all, if I ignore them or deny them, how can I learn from them?

One thing I take GREAT solace in is the fact that God never makes us endure these trials alone. We never are stuck out there and forced to solve it on our own. He has planned our lives for us and is willing to openly share it with us (good and bad) if only we are willing to look to Him and try to learn from what we are going through.

One quote I particularly liked from the chapter was from Corrie ten Boom, the Nazi camp survivor who said, "If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you'll be at rest!" I think that is so true. I can not recall how many times in my life I have turned to everyone else but God to help me through my struggles, and often the worse times in my life were those cases where I turned to no one but myself...and ultimately struggled even MORE to overcome. I want to look to Christ for strength and understanding...I am tired of searching faces out there for answers.

I also learned from this chapter that my patience will be tested in this process! "Character building is a slow process, " Warren says. Oh boy! I will definitely need to spend some time in prayer asking God to help me be patient and look to him for the purpose behind my trials rather than trying to solve them on my own, or worse...trying to avoid them.

Thinking About My Purpose

Point to Ponder: There is a purpose behind every problem.

Verse to Remember: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Question to Consider: What problem in my life has caused the greatest growth in me?

I would have to say the problem that has caused the greatest growth in me was something that I do not wish to publicly discuss here, but in my heart I recognize and understand it for what it was. The problem was one that eventually resulted in me going back to church and making an active effort to have God become a part of my life. It was a problem that persisted for quite some time and would have had a completely different outcome had I chosen not to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and continued to try and solve the problem on my own. One lesson I learned is that God never turned away from me, even when I felt I had turned from Him. The Holy Spirit truly worked in me to help me see the lessons of my situation and the purpose behind the problem I was facing.