I find it very interesting that some followers of Christ are surprised when trials come. Somehow they think that becoming a Christian means rainbows, cotton candy, and puppy dogs.
They haven’t read their Bible apparently.
I’ve written before about being refined as gold, and I love today’s scripture. Not the being “distressed by various trials” part. Frankly, I’d rather avoid trials. Suffering isn’t on my top ten favorite things to do. If God chose to grow me and mature my faith in any other way, I’d say, “Bring it on.”
But that’s not how God works. He knows we’re fickle and frail and fleshly. He knows we (or maybe it’s just me) tend to be self-sufficient when the skies are clear and the waves calm. It’s when the storms hit—when we face the fiery furnace—that we lift our hands up and plead for His presence.
So no, I’d rather not have the trials, but since I know I’m who I am today because of the difficult times and how they’ve shaped me, I can rejoice as Peter exhorted.
I can praise and glorify and honor my Lord. I can love Him through the trials. I can find hope, knowing that my trials are for “a little while.” And I can be confident God will use those trials to make me precious like gold.
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