ACCEPTING TRIALS FOR OUR GROWTH

Life is full of choices: Water or soda? Which job to take? Which bank to choose? What shoe to wear, Black shoes or red? Every day we make hundreds of small choices and a few big ones. There are things we have control over and things we don't. One of the biggest things we can control is our attitude. Not easy — to be sure — but ultimately we choose how we handle things.

We all have trials. Often the first thing we think of to do is pray that they go away. Please God make my kids behave, Please God change my marital status this year, and God bless my marriage with the fruit of the womb, Want to gain admission to school, Please make him love me. Yes it’s always good to confront them in prayer but at the same time we need to learn from it. When those things don't happen according to our own plan, we sometimes blame God for not answering our prayers. We get angry. We give up. see this Jeremiah 29:11.

Another way to look at these trials is that they are just that — trials. They are given to us as little gifts to help us become the people we need to become to be worthy to return to God. So instead of cursing the challenges and asking God why me! , we can change our outlook and our attitude and make the best out of the moment while it last because no condition is permanent in life. Instead of asking for an end to the storm, we can adjust our sails. Rather than praying for an end to our trials, we can embrace them and ask, "What would you have me learn from these?"

Tips on getting through it all:

1. Examine what is going on and why — then act on it. For example, The kids are misbehaving. Is it because they are learning the art of the stage? Let them fuss. Is it because they are attention-seeking because we have been super busy with other things? Maybe we should give them a little more of our time. Is it because there is something else bothering them? Problems at school? We need to ask and listen. But, rather than being miserable through it or praying it away, we ought to smile, learn and tell them we love them and wouldn't trade them for the world. Well I don't have any yet but I have lived with them.

2. Accept what you cannot change. Are you troubled because you are not going for NYSC to serve with your mate coz of that carry over , or have served for 5years now and no job, you are so depressed coz all your friends are now married and you are still single. Now what?  we need to learn reliance on God. It's OK to ask him to make the circumstance go away. But if the answer to our prayers  are been delayed, accept it and learn to live and love every moment. We can find joy in every moment in between. Sudden and unexpected unemployment? Maybe there's a better one around the corner. Maybe it's time for some further education or training. Perhaps we have a talent that is not being fulfilled. we should make the most of our time and learn from it.

3. Remember that some trials are to teach us about ourselves. When Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, it wasn't to prove to God how obedient he was. It was for Abraham to learn how obedient he was. God already knew him.

4. Other trails are to see how we will react. Sometimes a trial is given to us to see how we will handle it. Will we grouse or will we make the best of a bad situation? Will we turn our back on those we love, including God? Or, will we turn to him and to our circles of support and lean on them and, realizing that the trial probably affects more than just you, allow them to lean on us?

5. Keep the lines of communication open. Live worthy to receive the gift of promptings and pray always. When we pray, we need to remember it is a two-way conversation and take a moment to listen at the end. Also, we should remember to thank him for all that we do have before we lay out our problems to him.

6. Seek opportunities to serve. It may sound silly when we are in the midst of chaos to seek out someone else to serve, but it works. Also serving in the house of God is profitable Exodus 23:25-26. There is great peace found in service and closeness to God that can't be felt elsewhere. We can always easily find someone worse off than we are and help them.

I think there are lessons I have missed learning because I prayed the trials away before I had a chance to learn from them. Now I try to remember to accept and ask God, "What would you have me learn from this?”. In every situation always be joyful & gives thanks to God coz he is too faithful to fail.