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On Reaping the Blessing from Adversity

In contrast to popular thinking, adversity is the wind at our back James 1:2. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.

When trouble hits in the Christian’s life, we would be best suited to run toward the trouble rather than away; embrace it rather than despise it, and profit from it rather than fear it. Tragically, the inherent growth God has for us during times of trouble is often missed because we spend most of our energy escaping from comfort to comfort instead of seizing the value of this uniquely divine appointment called a trial. Understanding God’s purpose in adversity is the beginning of our wisdom in deriving value from them, and the catalyst to make peace with a perceived enemy who will never cease. This truth remains: God sends or allows headwinds into our lives to build our strength, draw us closer to Him, and to improve our character. Some winds are light, some strong, some contain sand, yet other winds seem laden with chards of glass. Yet each wind has ordained value regardless of the pain or difficulty it brings. Unfortunately, when trouble comes, the norm is to be consumed by the problem, and when the problem becomes the focus, the great work God is doing in the midst of it becomes blurred or vanishes from sight. If we connect to God’s promise about trials, we will experience His brilliance in them. We will see His perfect plan, how He wants to use us, who He wants us to be for others and who He wants us to engage with to leverage the adversity into value. One who encounters a wind of sorts and defaults to dwelling on the problem is certain to become “spiritually dysfunctional, possibility limited, and solution paralyzed.” One who encounters wind and moves to looking at what God is trying to accomplish through the problem will turn the headwind into the tailwind that it already was.

The question is: What would it look like to profit from one trial you are currently in?