By Kayla Newbold
Do you ever sit back and wonder why you are going though the situation you are going through? Or wonder “what could possibly be the reason for this? This is a question I ask myself from time to time; mostly when I am in a tough situation. It is funny how the moments that we question God are when there is something going on in our lives that we do not like. When life gets rough we don’t always run to God for shelter, we run the other way and say that God is out to get us. Romans 5:3-5 says this “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, know that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (ESV). Now read those verses once more and make sure to focus on the first verse especially the part where the writer says, “we rejoice in our sufferings”. Maybe you need to read it again to wrap your mind around this. We are not supposed to run and hide when a trial comes our way, we are supposed to embrace it because if we push through it will bring us closer our Savior.
During a Bible study a few years ago I heard a quote that has stuck with me ever since. It says, “We seek to please Him. He seeks to perfect us- and life works. Not without pain, but with purpose” (Beth Moore). I love pearls. I have always found it so interesting that they are one of the most highly valued jewels in the world and they were formed because an oyster got a piece of sand stuck in its shell. It is crazy how a pearl is one living creature’s pain and another’s most valued possession. It is the only jewel that can be worn naturally without being cut or shaped. In ancient times, they were highly sought after and a pearl was found in about 1 of every 10,000 oysters. Now that is what I call valuable! Can you imagine how much time pearl merchants spent searching for just one pearl? More time than we spend studying I am sure.
A Christian’s life is a lot like a pearl. We all start out as this seemingly insignificant piece of sand. One day we get stuck in a situation that is less than comfortable but with time the situation works out. Pearls are not formed over night. In fact, natural occurring pearls take many years to form. God is not going to just put us through a trial and then a week later we are perfect. To become who God wants us to be takes time. 1 Peter 5:10 says this, “ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (ESV). God is not going to leave us in our problems to suffer our entire lives, He is going to be standing with us because He loves us. There are trials in life to strengthen us and to teach us to depend on Him. If we never went through hard times if would be difficult for us to fully rely on Christ because it would seem as if we did not need Him. After trials and tribulations we come out just like a pearl, the most valuable jewel in the world. Only 1 in 10,000.
this just spoke to my heart with where i’m at right now -
thanks, kayla!
This really hits home for me. I grew up with a father who has a chronic illness. For as long as I can remember, my dad has been in pain 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This has been extremely trying for my family. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up because my dad had so many medical bills, and he is an extremely difficult man to live with. I never had a daughter/father connection with him like most girl have, and he was often verbally abusive to the family. He couldn’t help the condition he was in. Although my parents and brother are all Christians, there is a great division within the home. I was away from home for 4 years at college, and I just started my first year of divinity school. Due to the demands of school, I do not currently have a job, so I have been struggling financially. I am thankful that the school has generously provided me with scholarships. I do not have a husband or boyfriend to provide for me, so I am all on my own. I pray that God will bless me with a godly man someday who will take care of me. At times, I wonder why I have had to suffer so much emotional and spiritual pain. I have cried out to God, wondering why I had to live such a difficult life. At times I have wondered if death would be better than life. Then I remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for me on the cross. I know that God will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish me, as 1 Peter 5:10 says. I would not know true love and compassion without difficult circumstances, and I have learned to be thankful for them. I know that God is making me into a beautiful pearl.