Making the Most
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ”
With last week behind me, I have gotten closer to adjusting to the present situation. I have gotten past the disbelief, accepted that this virus has forced us into a muddy ditch, and that our wheels are presently spinning. The good news is that we will get out of this, a tow truck is on its way. The bad news, of course, is that it might take a while.
We are in the midst of a trial. It’s not the worst ever experienced by a human being (take a glance at the cross), but neither is it light or trivial. It hurts that the church cannot gather. It is costly for those of us who have lost employment or whose retirement has been injured. It is tragic for those who have and who will lose loved ones because of it. This trial is painful.
When I consider this, my mind is drawn to mere survival – “Just get by this, and everything will return to normal.” My gut preference is to simply see this time twiddled away so that we can get on to better things. But then there is another thought...
Shouldn’t we seek to make the most of these circumstances? James tells us that under “various kinds of trials” our faith is perfected. We become steadfast, we become stronger, we become the sort of people we were made to be. When this is considered, it no longer seems so strange to “Count it all joy.”
Accordingly, I have a question I hope you will reflect on:
Through this trial, what might be God be pushing us, as individuals and as a church, to change about our previous “normal lives”?
(I STRONGLY encourage you to read this article, which contributed to this post, as you reflect on this question - “How do we prepare now for the return to church?”)
God is working in these circumstances. We are in the Potter’s hands. Let us conform to His purposes.
