Are We Except From Trials?

Christians and Life's Trials

May this minister to your soul. 

Will we (believers) face hardship and tribulations or once we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior we will never face suffering again?

In late 2006, I was getting all of the invitations ready to be mailed out for my oldest daughter's first birthday party. I was so excited that everything had been planned months before. Before I was able to mail out the invitation to my step dad (He raised me so I loved him as my biological father.), I received a call that he was on his death bed. I drove down to the hospital where he was but was not able to say "good bye." He was an alcoholic and had slowly but surely killed himself. He did not literally take his life. He just drank it away until his body could not take it any longer and he past.

It is Jan 2007 and I'm pregnant with my 2nd child. There's a problem though, the baby has no heart beat. This news did not faze me at all. I knew that my Lord was going to perform a miracle and I was going to have a healthy little one. Blood test after blood test after sonograms did not deter me. I was going to have a healthy baby. 3 months later, I'm having a D N C. While all of this is going on, I lose a cousin.

Finally, there's peace and no more chaos...for a while anyway. Nov. 2008 comes and I'm waiting for my husband to come home so he could stay with our daughter. I wanted to go vote but did not want to take my 2 year old with me. My husband arrived and placed his cell phone on the counter. He walked away to our bedroom to change clothes. His phone went off and I checked it. I saw my sister's phone number so I called her back. When she picks up, all I could hear were sirens in the background and my sister screaming. I kept on asking her over and over again what was going on but she was unable to speak. She finally gives me the news that has forever changed me. Our mom had died. I was in complete shock. My knees buckled and I fell to the floor. I couldn't believe it. My mom is no longer here. I had to leave. I had to be there for my sisters. I told my husband and a few friends what went on and I left.  (One of my friends ended up downloading some Christian songs onto a CD which I heard the entire trip out of town.)

Do Christians Face Trials? Yes, we do face tribulations.

What the Bible says. 

John 14:1-3

1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, 2 I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that you also may be where I am."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

16 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

What my pastor preached.

When you fall into the midst of trials and your world seems to be falling down all around you.  Don’t rely on your feelings! Step back and EVALUATE your circumstances so that you can carefully and deliberately choose JOY.  You will experience this JOY when you recognize God’s grace and start leaning towards it.

“Turn Your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.”

Philippians 4:11-13

11 "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

1 Cor. 9:24

24 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

Romans 5:1-5

5 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

I Will Praise You in the Storm