The One Question I Hold Dear
One thing we can be sure of in this life is that we will have trials (hard times). It is not a matter of if they will come, but rather when will they come. The older generation used to say, “You are either coming out of a trial or on your way into one.”
That said, trials are not fun. They tend to shake up everything in your life and make you question the way you’ve operated in life beforehand. They can hurt your feelings. They can cause every emotion under the sun to surface.
On the other hand, I have learned that trials can be beneficial. Biblical scripture says that in James 1: 2-4 to count it joy when trials (troubles) come your way because you will come out of the trial with endurance. I will also add that I have identified a couple other benefits of going through a trial which include a greater knowledge of who you are and a revelation of the lesson God has for you to learn. In my lifetime, I have found that this joy cannot be realized without keeping this one question close, “Lord, what am I to learn from this situation?” I have found that when I keep this question at the forefront of my mind during a trial, I come out of the trial with a wealth of knowledge and revelation that will take me much further than I could have ever gone with my previous bit of pre-trial knowledge. In addition, when I ask God what he wants me to learn from a trial, I address God specifically so I can hear Him speak to me about His plan.
Scripture Reference:
James 1: 2-4
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
