I remember sitting in my room after an angry outburst I had, asking God to help me with my patience. I was embarrassed at how something so small had been able to rile me up so badly. “Where is my patience?” I thought and silently asked God to give me the gift of patience and gentleness that I so badly wished I and responded with.
Days after I asked God for patience, my dad got really sick. My dad is the type of guy that keeps our house together. So when he was forced to slow down, things started to break. First, a pipe froze, then a gate broke, and next our washer machine. “What else could go wrong?” we all thought.
We’ll things just continued to go wrong. I was starting to believe that my family was cursed. It is funny how when you start looking for the negative, the negative only seems to grow and follow you.
I began to wonder “Did God allow my dad to get sick so that I would learn how to be patient?”
Billy Graham once wrote, “God can take anything that happens to us—even bad things—and use it to shape us and make us into better, more Christ-like people if we will let Him. This doesn’t mean God necessarily “causes” everything that happens to us, but sometimes He “allows” things to happen.
Many people dismiss the idea that bad things happen to us because of our poor decisions, and not according to His will. We must take responsibility. Sometimes we don’t know why God allows bad things to happen to us. Even then, however, God can use them to teach us and make us into better people.
Disappointments and tragedies can teach us to turn in trust to God for the hope and comfort we need. These experiences can also teach us patience and make us more sensitive to others who are suffering.”
James 1:2-3 reminds us to find joy in trials, knowing that they test our faith and cultivate patience.
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” James 1-2:3, ESV
Admittedly, finding joy amid adversity isn’t always easy. Sickness, loss, and setbacks are inevitable parts of life. Yet, through God’s grace, these challenges can refine our character and deepen our trust in Him.
It is by the grace of God that He uses these tough situations to produce His character in us. So if you are walking through a tough situation, hold on. You never know what the Lord might be producing in you.