My Trial is Your Blessing

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 says:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God,
For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.
Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
And our hope for you is steadfast, because we konw that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation."

As I was reading this the other day, it really stuck out to me. As many of you know, I am going through a one of the most difficult times in my life right now. It is a very difficult time so in some ways it makes sense that this would stick out to me.

Regardless, there is so much depth to this portion of scripture that if I were to write all of the things I believe God is trying to teach me, this post would turn into a book, but to highlight some of them:

1. God is called blessed.
When was the last time I just stopped and blessed God, simply for who He is? Not for what He is accomplishing in my life, not for what I want Him to give me, but simply because He is my God and my savior?

2. God is a God of "ALL" comfort!
When we go through trials/tribulations, we don't need to look all around for those who can comfort us. We don't need 500 friends, 10 shrinks, and 20 great books to read on the way to group therapy! What we need is God! And we need Him desperately. When our hope...our joy...our life...is grounded in Him, we will find comfort and the ability to walk through our trials without becoming selfish and desperate.

3. God comforts us SO THAT we may comfort others
OK...so here is my soap box for today...when was it that Christianity became a religion of self? Serve God so He can bless you...serve God so you can be served...serve God so you can feel good about yourself....serve God so others can think you are something better than you are...what is "Christian" about this? Aren't "Christians" supposed to be living their lives sold out to the one who gave His life for theirs? Aren't we supposed to be sacrificing so that God can be glorified and His name/gospel taken throughout the world? We were put here on earth to love God, serve God, and serve others...that should be the glory of our lives. If we learn to truly love God, and serve HIM with our entire lives, we will find blessings even in the midst of our greatest trials. We will be able to withstand the trials of the devil with a smile on our face, joy in our hearts, and still desiring to serve God by helping (or comforting) others.

God grows His church by comforting them through their trials, not by keeping trials from them. Our understanding of the magnitude and significance of God, as well as our need for dependancy upon Him, comes as we go through trials and find God in them.

If we take this portion of scripture to heart, we can realize that our trials are for two purposes:

1. to glorify God
2. to bless His church (His people)

So ultimately..."My Trial is Your Blessing"!

LIFE

Well for those of you who have tried to check out the blog the last few days, you noticed that I was shut down by Google. No need to get into specifics but I am happy to be back!

But the past few days have given me some time to think, some time to ponder and wrestle with life. And because of that, I want to veer off of my normal course for this blog and just give a little perspective.

Life…its interesting to put it mildly. Some days we really think we have it all planned out. We think we understand love…understand life…understand friendship. But then life happens, and it kicks us to the ground. It brings us to our knees without even making a sound. It doesn’t explain itself or apologize…it just happens.

And what we are left with is a handful of nothing; a handful of emptiness and brokenness. We realize that life wasn’t really all it was cracked up to be; and neither were we.

This past year has brought challenges beyond measure in my life. I have been broken to the point I thought I could be broke no more. Then when I would get back to my feet, I would be broken again, and again, and again. There have been moments when I thought that I could not, would not, and didn’t want to go on. I thought it would be better just to disappear.

But in those moments the miraculous happened. In those moments the wonderful came to be. God appeared with open arms. He held me tight and let me struggle, but never let go. He simply sat and waited when all I needed was something to hold onto and brought peace in times hopelessness.

The bible says that God understands and knows us intimately. I used to think that I understood this. But I was living a life of pleasure and a life of comfort. I did not know what it was like to truly be in need. I did not know what it was like to desperately be seeking for just a little stability. But in those times, in those moments when all seemed helpless, God was there and I know now will ALWAYS be there. He is real and is waiting for us to reach for Him so that He can lift us up and comfort us.

I thought I understood faith; until I had nothing left to depend on. I thought I understood love; until I was let down. I thought I understood friendship; until no one was around. I thought I understood submission; until I was asked to do things I did not enjoy. I thought I understood life; until I could only hope in the one who gave it to me. He is there to comfort us in our greatest need.

Why am I consumed with Christ? Because when He was all that I had left, He did not let me down. When He was all I could depend on, he was my rock. I want to be consumed with Christ because He has been consumed with me.

I know that many of you have gone through a lot this past year. Finances are gone, jobs lost, friends lost, children rebelling...but God is there. Reach out to Him and He can be your hope and your help. He is there to guide you and to keep you safe. Trust in Him and He will not let you down!