Testing 1, 2, 3

We have a child here named Shadrack (who has starred in some of my pictures in previous posts) who has been really sick recently.  He has new molars coming in the back and they put him in complete pain.  We took him to the doctor yesterday to check everything out because he’s had a fever of 102 degrees.  Ends up that he also has tonsillitis on top of his teething discomfort.  The poor child cries and cries because of the overwhelming soreness.  He does not understand why it hurts, he just feels the pain.  He is focused on the here and now.  After he went to the doctor, he now has medicine to help him feel better- one to fight the infection in his tonsils and one for the pain.  Unfortunately, because of the agony when swallowing, he hates having his medicine.  He is too little to realize that this medicine is what will heal him and make him feel better!  It will be painful to swallow the medicine but it is worth the recovery.  So even though he screams and cries, we still give him the medicine because we know it is what he needs to heal.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how applicable this lesson is to my life.  Some trials in our life cause so much hurt and pain.  We do not understand why they are happening or why we are feeling the way that we are.  All we know is here and now, it hurts.  I didn’t expect to be learning this lesson here, but our God works in crazy ways!     When God teaches us lessons, they are usually not pain free.  But he sees the tooth coming in and knows that it will be worth the pain and discomfort.  He knows that we are going to be stronger coming out of the trial and we will be closer to Him than we were going into it.

“Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything... Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:2-4,12

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9