Can I get a show of hands for people who want to request hardship in their lives? Anyone volunteering for another dose of trials and tribulations? Ever get excited when you realize you are about to enter a storm in your life? No. No one volunteers for hardship or tough times. We would always prefer to have the road of comfort and ease. We pray for blessings and goodness and really want to skip out on the difficulties of life.
There are very few people or things that thrive under pressure. Most people, plants, organisms, animals, etc., tire under harsh conditions and strife. However, as hard as it is to believe, some things do excel in difficulty. Some plants known as extremophytes have evolved to handle and grow in harsh environments. These plants that look similar to a mustard plant don’t just survive in rough conditions, but they thrive in them. Studies are being conducted to see how we could use the adaptations of these plants to help other plants survive such conditions. And you have probably heard about an oyster and the process for forming a pearl. It is only when an irritant, like a parasite, enters the shell that nacre is secreted which eventually forms a pearl. These things make the most out of poor situations.
The book of James is written to Jewish believers who had been scattered abroad due to persecution. James encourages them to use these difficult hardships for good.
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4
James wasn’t telling them to request that hard times would come, but rather acknowledge that they are going to come in the lives of every believer. The biggest thing we can do is to choose to look at these difficult times as an opportunity, rather than as destruction. During troubles and trials, it is hard to see past the unfortunate circumstances of the moment to recognize the growth of our character and endurance. These troubles are maturing us like nothing else could. We cannot know the strength of our character until we are faced with pressure. We are becoming more like Christ when we depend on Him through our suffering. We can turn these times of trials into moments of learning. Troubles will come. What will we do with them? Will we react as most things and falter under the pressure or will we adapt like the extremophytes and oysters and thrive?
This devotional was written by Amy Carrico of Making the Moments Matter. Click HERE to follow her on Facebook!
Last Updated on February 18, 2025
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