In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus-Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV)
Pearls are formed when an irritant embeds itself in the oyster’s shell. The oyster slowly, gradually, forms a layer of nacre around the foreign body until the irritant becomes a beautiful gem.
In the same way, God allows ‘irritants’ to enter our lives so that we might grow, develop perseverance, and mature in our faith. He could prevent them, shield us from harm, and heal every disease. But God is more focused on the eternal than the here and now. Our difficulties are evidence that God is refining us. He loves us too much to leave us as we are.
Grasping this truth is the first step in ‘rejoicing’ when we face trials. Peter didn’t preach a ‘Don’t worry, be happy’ gospel. He didn’t exhort Christians to put on a fake smile and answer every “How are you doing?” with an “I’m doing great!” when in reality, we are hurting. What Peter urges Christians to do in the face of suffering is to consider God’s perspective.
To despair is to question God’s purpose. To question God’s purpose is essentially saying, “God, you don’t know what you’re doing.” We will have questions and doubts. That’s okay, as long as we express those thoughts and feelings to the Lord and trust Him to do what is right, what is good, and whatever brings glory to His name—this is the heart of faith.
I’m not saying it will be easy. It’s a gradual process, just like the forming of a pearl. But its reward is beautiful in God’s sight.
Thought: “The greatest test of Christianity is the wear and tear of daily life. It is like the shining of silver; the more it is rubbed, the brighter it grows.” – Oswald Chambers