Trials and Tribulations

Trials and Tribulations	Next Chapter: What Is Forgiveness?
If anyone was entitled to the "good" life it was Mary, the mother of Jesus. After all, she was personally selected by God to bear his only Son. So what did she get for her trouble? She was ostracized by her home town people who probably thought she had been having sex before she got married — an offense for which, under Jewish law, she could have been stoned. In the final stages of pregnancy she had to take a long trip on the back of a donkey. She had to give birth to her firstborn child in a stable without her mother or any other loving female relatives to help. Instead of returning home, she and her husband and newborn child had to flee for their lives to Egypt. Did she even speak their language? I doubt it. And that was all before her son was even out of diapers. These trials had nothing to do with her personally. They had everything to do with her son. As I look back on my life I recognize many situations where our family went through difficult circumstances. Looking back, I now understand what wonderful blessings these times turned out to be for our children. In fact, the blessings were so great that I would willingly go through similar difficulties many times over for the sake of my family. So next time you are having troubles, be patient, trust God and He will bring you through with blessings.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28 NLT)
Lord, help me to have faith in your love during the bad times as well the good times, knowing that you are always truly in control. Amen.
Questions for consideration... What events in my life were difficult at the time but later I saw a blessing come from them? Were the blessings for me or for someone else? What have I learned from these events?