So why does God let us go through pain and hard times? There are several reasons why.
1. Drawing us closer to Him. One thing I've noticed about myself is when I'm in a deep pit, that is when I am closest to God. I spend a lot more time with Him when I'm hurting. When things are out of control, I am acutely aware that I cannot do this on my own. I need help. I need God. If things were always perfect, I would not need God, now would I?
2. To humble us. Some times we get so full of ourselves that God has to take us to the mat and lay us out on our backs so we begin to finally look up again.
3. To put us where he needs us. About 13 years ago I had been working nights in ICU at St Vincent's. I was tired of working holidays, nights and weekends. I wanted a normal job with normal hours. I applied for a school nurse position and prayed and prayed that I would get the job. I did not get it. I was upset and wondered why. It was perfect for me. A couple of weeks later, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I needed to be available during the day to help take her to treatments. I couldn't have done that as a school nurse, but at St Vincent's, my schedule was perfect for this. And then, a couple of years later, I got a job that really was perfect for me. I still work there today. God ALWAYS knows best.
4. To build our faith. Faith is a muscle. If you don't use it, you loose it. Faith needs to be exercised. When we exercise it, faith grows. I personally feel like there is a lot that we miss out on because of a lack of faith. How many times did Jesus chastise the apostles for their lack of faith? What were they missing out on? What am I missing out on?
5. Sometimes it has nothing to do with us. God may be moving other people around you so they can see how you react to a new trial. After I was diagnosed with lymphoma, I heard some of my friends talking. They were commenting about all the things I've had to go through. One friend asked me how I can get through everything I have been through. I told her "Jesus gives me strength, cause I can't do this on my own". I wouldn't have been able to say that if I weren't going through a trial.
6. God wants to teach us. Sometimes we should ask what it is God wants us to learn. Have you ever noticed that the only time you really learn anything is when you fall flat on your face? The Israelites refused to learn the easy way, so they had to learn the hard way, in the desert for forty years. I'm thinking I'm gonna ask God what he wants me to know before I take another trip around that mountain.
7. Perhaps God is preparing us for what he has for us. You never plant the seed without first plowing the ground. You must prepare the ground to receive the seed in order for it to grow and produce a crop. That requires the ground being disturbed, turned over and exposed to the elements.
8. To make us more like Christ. Like the carpenter he is, Christ is smoothing out the rough edges to conform us to his standards. Think about that. Sanding is rubbing a rough piece of paper over a raw piece of wood to make it smooth and functional. It causes friction and heat. But the end result is beautiful.
9. Only a beloved child will be disciplined. Not all problems are discipline. But if you never get discipline, you might want to re-examine your relationship with God. You may not have one.
10. God gets blamed for a lot of things. Some of our problems are a natural progression from sin. If I cheat on a test, get caught and flunk the class, that is a natural progression. God didn't cause it. He told me not to steal or lie. (Commandment # 8 and 9, with a smattering of # 5 for good measure)
Being a Christian doesn't mean we won't face problems. Actually, Jesus promises we will have problems. The difference between us and the non-believing world is how we react to the problems we have. A persons true character is not revealed when everything is going right, but when everything isn't.
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