Some Hard Times

James 1:2-3 – Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. (NIV)

My wife and I have looked back on our lives and we have seen that we have not faced many hard times before. We are expecting our second child and we are very happy about this. But a test we had taken showed that the baby's kidneys were apparently not working correctly. In addition there was some concern about the baby's growth. We had the test done again and the same results came back. We were pretty saddened and shaken by this news.

I never quite understood why one should find joy in a trial one is facing, as today's scripture advises. Here I was thinking about my unborn baby maybe having some problems — and I should find joy in this?

It was strange — I did find a joy, because for me to get through this ordeal I had to give it completely to God. I knew that no matter the outcome, God was there for my wife and me. No matter what happened we would experience God's love. No matter what, we would love this child and care for him.

We went to a specialist and the test they did showed that there were no problems with our baby. This was great news for us. When I was told this I almost cried. I felt the joy of my trial that came to an end. In that end it was God who took care of us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, sometimes it is hard to see joy in our hardships. During these times may we remain focused on you. May we not feel anger toward you for what may be happening, but instead may we find joy in knowing you are with us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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