March 27, 2025
A man was in a supermarket pushing a cart which contained, along with a few groceries, a screaming child. As he walked the aisles, the young dad kept repeating, “Keep calm, George. Don’t get excited, George. Don’t yell, George.”
Having watched with admiration, a lady came up to the man and said, “You are certainly to be commended for your patience in trying to get little George quiet.”
“Lady,” he responded, “I’m George!”
Our mommas warned us there would be days like that. After all, we’re living in a fallen world. Some days we’re the rooster, while on others, a feather duster.
Scripture says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1:2,3, NASB, italics mine). Note that it says, when trials come, not if.
Sometimes we bring difficulty on ourselves. On other occasions, through no fault of our own, tribulation ensues. Ironically, such trials may turn out to have a silver lining. As a dear, wise saint declared, looking back over the years, “I could have done without many pleasures, but I could not have spared one sorrow that God allowed to come into my life.”
Why would she come to such a mature conclusion? For a variety of reasons 1) Difficult times help us put things in proper perspective, making the good times that much sweeter. 2) Trials humble us, teaching us to depend on God as opposed to leaning upon our own strength. 3) Tribulations allow us to sympathize with others. Once we’ve experienced the death of a loved one, medical crises, job loss, etc., we’re in a much better position to minister to someone else going through the same.
As the Bible says, “Do not be surprised by the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12 NASB). Rather than question, “When am I going to get out of these troubles?” ask “What am I going to get out of these troubles?” Ask that no trial would go to waste, but rather that all would bring benefit to people and glory to God.
I ran across the legend of an old violin maker who was envied by his colleagues because of the superior quality of his instruments. When asked his secret, he told about most of his fellow artisans going into protected valleys to find wood. He, on the other hand, climbed the rugged crags of nearby mountains for his material. The trees there, twisted and gnarled by the rugged mountain weather, produced wood with toughened grain and fiber which in turn resulted in violins famous for their tone and beauty.
We never identify with Christ more than when facing tribulation, especially if it’s something unprovoked or undeserved. “If we endure, we will also reign with Him” (2 Timothy 2:12 NASB). He is shaping us down here so we will fit in up there. By bringing us through trials, God is toughening us up, developing strong grain and fiber, with the intention of producing beautiful music through us.
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Rev. Gaddis has been a pastor for over 34 years, 25 of those in Georgia. He lives in Athens and can be reached at jtoddgaddis@gmail.com.
