The Bible says in various Scriptures that we should be happy with what we have; not to worry about what tomorrow will bring; and that we should rejoice when we go through trials (compare 1 Timothy 6:6-12; Matthew 6:34; James 1:2-4). This is indeed very easy to read but living by it has its challenges at times, especially when things happen unexpectedly to the point of frustration when we don’t get the answers we are looking for, while at the same time, believing that God will take care of us in every situation. This is where faith comes in, and I’m referring to real, genuine, undeniable faith!
Do we TRUST that God is in control of our lives? We need to come to that understanding, and we may just reach that point when we go through difficult demanding trials, where we then see how God intervenes. If He does it for us once, and we continue to be faithful and grateful, then we can be assured, He will be there for us again. Sometimes we easily forget how much God really has been there for us time and time again.
The things we take for granted are also occasionally put to the test. Just recently I fractured my right hand, which is my dominant hand, and I had to adjust by using my left hand, and even though it had its challenges, I was still able to manage. The simple everyday necessities were put to the test, resorting to doing everything with my opposite hand. At first, I may have thought that this hindrance would have had an emotional effect on me, because I went from being quite active to all of the sudden quite limited, from one day to the next. And also, since I have never experienced a broken bone in my life, until now.
Yet, I found ways to counter this hurdle by also not letting this affect me negatively. For example, as I wrote this Editorial, I had to cope by typing with just one finger on my right hand, as minimal as that may seem. But, I was still able to accomplish this task, even though it took a little longer than normal.
Even though this is just a temporary setback and can’t even compare to the many problems of our brethren and friends who struggle with far more serious complications, it really made me think about those who do suffer continuously. There have been several prayer requests lately, on a daily basis it seems, where our members need help not just from God, but also from all of us, through our prayers, for God listens to the abundance of prayers from all those who are faithful (Proverbs 15:29; James 5:15-16; 1 Peter 3:12). Nobody in God’s Church is alone, which is why we all need to work together because we “know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). And it is according to HIS purpose that we are here. So why then would we worry?
We shouldn’t let the trials that we go through bring us down, for all that we encounter and what we have in this lifetime is only temporary, as we eagerly wait for the promise that God is expecting to give US—to all those who remain faithful until the end. In the meantime, when we struggle, we must learn to adapt and overcome, no matter what we go through, if we want to be considered worthy to reach our ultimate goal of eternal life.
