(August 19, 2023) Carol Round inspirationally shares encouragement regarding storms of life…

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18TLB is a very inspirational scripture – ‘Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.’

The emphasis here is on the word ‘always,’ and this simply means ‘at all times, on every occasion.’ But note Paul’s encouragement… ‘No matter what happens.’

I remember a discussion of 1 Thessalonians in a Sunday school class. One member shared this about the above verses: ‘Until our family was faced with cancer, we did life as usual. I’m actually grateful, not for the cancer, but that it changed our lives.’

Unexpected crises are a part of life!
Disappointment, heartache, pain and other challenges in our lives are sometimes the motivating factor in seeking salvation or our spiritual growth.

Life crisis – ‘troubles’ – are like storms blowing through, destroying property and lives and leaving in its aftermath a mess.

I’ve read or heard more than one pastor say, ‘At this moment you are in one of three storm categories –

• Either you just came out of one, or
• You are in one right now, or
• You are headed into one.’

Grow beyond the problems!
Dr Richard J Krejcir wrote this in an article titled God Really Does Have a Purpose Behind your Problems: ‘God does not look on trouble as we do. Where we see stress He sees opportunities. Where we see crisis, He sees growth and betterment. God’s purpose in times of crisis and trouble is to teach His children precious lessons. They are intended to educate, and build us up. And when we learn from them and ride out these storms of life, we will see the great promise fulfilled. His glorious recompense will come to us throughout eternity.’

He went on to state: ‘We need to see the joy and opportunities through times of problems. Because we will learn that there is a sweet and wonderful joy we can have here too. We do not have to wait until heaven. We can learn to make our life joy-filled by seizing the crisis and growing from it – to become the person we are capable of being for our benefit and His glory.’

We can’t hide nor escape from life’s pain, disappointment and heartache, but we can be better prepared for anything that comes our way in the future. Just like we prepare for the storms of nature, we must make a conscious decision to grow spiritually.

Yes, life – our world – has its storms! But John 16:33 gives us comforting words from Jesus – ‘In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’

We must want to grow!
It’s not enough to show up for church each Sunday morning. It’s not just about doing more for God… it’s about seeking a personal relationship with Him.

Now attending worship services is important, but committing to reading and studying scripture, both individually and in small group studies, is a great growth key. Sometimes, however, we lose our zeal, reaching a level of maturity and then stagnate, satisfied with our level of growth!

Living life as usual doesn’t prepare us for the storms – and they will come – it’s just a matter of when.

Challenge
Are you…
1. Merely living life as usual?
2. Seeking to grow in Christ?
3. Preparing before the next storm blows through?

I trust you are doing these last two… no matter what.

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Carol Round is an author and inspirational speaker. Carol’s encouraging articles have appeared in national and international publications and she especially loves hearing from readers, saying ‘I would consider it an honour if you feel led to share this post with others.’ 

Growing Confidently in Your Faith. Carol openly shares her own intimate journey in becoming more like Jesus, initially borne of pain, and now bathed in promise. (See: http://bit.ly/2LGOvKN).Links: A Matter of Faith weekly column: carol@carolaround.com / www.carolaround.com.
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