Are You Up For The Challenge?

I overheard a couple of my students talking yesterday in class about trying to find a job. One of them said she went to an interview and was asked if she had any retail experience. When she acknowledged that she did not, she was told that she could not be hired without that experience. She then asked how she was supposed to get the experience if nobody would give her a job. That same paradox always frustrated me too when I was out looking for my first job. It just never seemed fair. I was willing and able, but nobody would give me a chance.

The Bible says that without faith, we can not please God. It is so very easy to have faith in God when everything is going our way. But what about when we hit a bump in the road? In the first chapter of James, God tells us that we should "rejoice" when faced with trials. Now rejoicing is the last thing I want to do when I am facing trouble. But James explains that it is through these trials that we get the opportunity to grow in our faith. I don't think He means rejoice in the same sense that we do. Perhaps he is suggesting that when we face a bad situation, we should attack it with the attitude that ultimately, God is going to get us through it, and in the process, our faith will grow and please Him. By testing our faith, He is helping us grow in our endurance. After all, how can we get that Christian experience (faith) without getting the job (trials)?

James 1:2-3 says, "Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."

Father, please help us through our daily trials. We want to be faithful to You, but we can't even do that without Your help. In Jesus name, Amen.