"The Treasure of Trials"

One of the places where I learned the powerful impact that radio ministry could have was Brooklyn, New York. As a young pastor, my team and I produced a show that received more responses from our listeners than all of the other programs for the year combined. The title of that broadcast was, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Back then there was no internet, so the only ways our listening audience could respond was either by phone or the old-fashioned medium of writing a letter. The question that many wanted answered then is the same question that many are still asking today.

In Matthew 5:45, Jesus reminds us that God allows the sun to shine not only on the righteous, but equally on the unrighteous. He also says in same verse that he allows the rain to fall on both as well. In other words, experiencing pain in this life has less to do with whether one is considered to be bad or good and it has more to do with just being human. And being human means that one is equally susceptible to the rain that falls regardless of whether one places oneself in the category of the good or the bad. But where the difference lies is that being a Christian helps one to understand that whatever falls into one's life is crafted by the hand of God to work out for his or her eternal good (Romans 8:28).  

In her devotional book, Jesus Calling, author Sarah Young describes these moments as the "Treasures of Trials," trials that are designed to shake us free from earth-shackles. But what is amazing is that she equates the rain that falls into one's life as being just as much a blessing as the moments when God allows the sun to shine its warmth into one's life. In other words, she defines a blessing not by how it makes you and me feel, but rather by the redemptive work that it can potentially give birth to in our lives. And if we are going to be honest, then we must admit that the moments that have brought about the greatest spiritual growth in our lives haven't always been a by-product of the sun, but of the rain. So the next time the circumstances of life rain on your parade, and trust me, there will be a next time, remember that it could be disguised as one of the greatest blessings of your life. (James 1:2-5).