In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that Your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. –1 Peter 1:6,7
There is no doubt that you will experience trials in your Christian life. Some new Christians mistakenly believe that being a Christian means living a life free of hassles and struggles. God never promised us freedom from trials; He promised us that He would walk with us through the trials and help us to endure our hardships. No one looks forward to trials, but trials can produce a stronger faith. You can withstand anything that comes if you remember that every trial is actually a test. Before gold is pure, it must be tested in the fire. The trials that come your way will test your faith and out of your struggles your faith can emerge stronger than it ever was before.
The rigors which the athlete has to undergo are not meant to make him collapse, but to help him develop strength and staying power. For the Christian, our trials are not meant to take the strength out of us, but to put the strength into us. Endurance through trials produces strength.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Reread 1 Peter 1:6,7. What effect do trials have on our faith?
2. Are you experiencing trials right now in your life? You have a choice of how to deal with them: you can let them get you down or you can see them as a way to test and strengthen your faith. How will you deal with your trials?
FURTHER READING:
Romans 5:2, 1 Peter 5:10, James 1:2, Job 23:10, Psalm 66:10, Proverbs 17:9