Around the Block…One More Time
Are you a patient person? It’s an area that God keeps working on in me. I have a vision of how something is supposed to go and when it doesn’t happen quite the way I expected, I get frustrated. Am I the only one?
This week every time I thought I was finished with a writing project, there were more errors found. Yesterday a couple of events we were trying to set up could not happen because of a glitch. In the heat of my efforts to work this situation out, someone told me not to “panic” about it. Why not panic? Doesn’t it help? Last night, after a trying day, I got lost when attempting to find a Christian event I had committed to. The address was wrong on the event website and instead of leading me to a building on a college campus, my navigation led me to a house that had nothing to do with the gathering.
Was all my frustration worth it? Did my impatience do me any good? I am not so sure. I was worn out by the time I got home last night and I think my tiredness was in part due to the energy I spent on my impatient emotions all day.
In James 1:2, James says, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.. When explaining this verse, the MacArthur Bible Commentary says “The natural human response to trials is not to rejoice, therefore, the believer must make a conscious commitment to face them with joy.” It goes on to say, “If the believer fails the test by wrongly responding, that test then becomes a temptation, or a solicitation to evil.”
As I look back on yesterday, I realized I was “strong” when I tried to get the various situations corrected. My usually happy Christian demeanor was exchanged for a demanding, edgy personality. Did I consider my trials as joyful as James suggests? No. I failed the test and God is going to have to give it to me again until I pass.
Most of the time the issues that have us tied up in knots work themselves out. This morning, I realized the book problems were eventually corrected and the final draft is now going to print. The glitch we had concerning the events is supposed to be remedied Monday and I eventually found the gathering last night after a manager at the Student Union Building became a human navigation system and remained on the phone with me until I found the building I needed to go to. I was over thirty minutes late, but I made it.
I eventually got to my destination but God allowed me to go around the block a few times. Are you in the midst of a frustrating trial right now? Ask the Lord to help you persevere and provide supernatural joy. Trust that the Lord has you right where you are supposed to be, not lacking anything.