True Colors

I have been spending a lot of time reading and re-reading Phillipians 4. Especially verses 6 and 7 which say "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." I am in the midst of a major trial in my life. We all face them. It's funny how many times I've heard those verses preached or quoted by a well meaning brother, but now it's different. The words stare at me from the page. I feel as though they are challenging me saying "Do you really believe what this says?" I have been contemplating these words and I have to conclude that if they are there, God really means them.

We are in a series at church on the book of James and Sunday the sermon was about trials. If you think about legal trials, they exist to find out the truth. Evidence is presented and testimony is given to discern what really happened. Tests in the scholastic sense are meant to find out what you know or how much you have retained. In James 1 of the Message Bible, it says:

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."

I love that it says that "your faith life is forced into the open and shows it's true colors." Tests and trials are meant to show what we are really made of. I have learned and grown so much through this time in my life. I have learned what it means to truly surrender and not worry. I haven't mastered it yet, but I'm learning. I've learned what it means to not just read scripture but to apply it in my life. I know that some day I will be able to look back on this time and thank God for it. That in and of itself is a breakthrough for me!