You know what Bible verse drives me nuts? This one:
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” -Romans 5:3-4.
Here is my first thought: I can accept the idea that bad things can be used for good, but don’t tell me to “glory” in my sufferings!
But after more thoughts, I have to admit there is significant truth to this verse. Let me tell you a story…
Morgan and I got married on May 24th, 2009. Since I wanted to be an impressive husband, having a job was rather important to me. The job market was pretty tough, but fortunately I had something lined up. While the location wasn’t great, we could make it work and I would learn a lot there. There was one last step to my hiring process, and it was supposed to be the easiest hurdle for me.
This was still an awesome day
Unfortunately, it wasn’t so easy. 8 days before the wedding, I learned the “locked up” job was not happening. Obviously, we didn’t stop the wedding. Fortunately Morgan already had a job so we could survive, but I still needed a job if we wanted to accomplish some major goals (grad school being the most prominent).
I spent the entire summer looking for a job. I did interviews, changed up resumes, made connections, and did anything else I could think of to find a job.
Rejection, rejection, rejection.
This process did not feel good. I wrestled with confidence issues and kept wondering why God had not provided a job.
Have you ever heard someone say, “I knew God wanted to teach me something, but I kept fighting Him. When I finally stopped fighting and started listening, I stopped suffering and learned an amazing lesson!”
I’ve heard it, and so I told God a thousand times I was ready to listen and learn. But things still didn’t change. I’m not saying they won’t change for you, and you should definitely be willing to listen when God wants to teach you something. The only problem was, He was teaching me perseverance. Surprisingly, the only way to learn perseverance is to actually persevere.
Who knew?
How Perseverance typically feels
God also had me waiting on His timing, because He had something amazing planned. In September, I finally landed a full time job at a church in Snellville. It is a great church and I am learning and doing so many incredible things there. Instead of having two 35 minute drives, both Morgan and I drive 8 minutes to work. Looking back, I know God wanted me here from the beginning. He had a bumpy road planned for me, but taught me some valuable lessons along the way.
When stuff gets tough in your life, I encourage you to praise God. I know from experience that it’s not easy, but it is essential. God really does have control and He is good. We know His love is certain because Jesus already died for us. Praising God reminds us of His goodness and gives us strength. Furthermore, I have seen his plans come into fruition, and they truly are good.
Praise also draws us into God’s presence. Considering He is easily the best option for helping you through suffering, being in His presence is your best bet at surviving the pain and growing stronger because of it.
We sang this song at church one day in the midst of my job hunt and it really encouraged me. It’s worth checking out and will help you praise God in the hard times:
Your turn: When did something hard or bad in your life actually work out for the good?
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