Walking Through
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2-3
Insight
I have lived a decently privileged and blessed life. I have never wondered where my next meal comes from or if I am loved. I've never been made to feel that I am less than or unable to do something. Yet I have faced trials; we all have. Some are in the moment when our kids drive us crazy, and some are when others hurt or let us down. Trails will come no matter how hard we try to avoid them; they are a part of our life.
As a parent, this is harder to swallow for my kids' sake than my own. I wish they didn't have to face trials; I wish I could protect them from the broken and ugly parts of the world and keep them in a bubble of goodness. But that isn't a reality, and as I read today's passage, I recognize my job as a parent is not to save my kids from pain; it is to help them walk through the pain that life will inevitably bring. It is to help them learn and grow through the good and bad moments and ultimately remember they are loved. But isn't this what Christ calls us to do as people, not just parents? God designed us to be in community with one another and walk through life together.
We don't need to smile and pretend everything is okay when we face trials. We need to be honest and vulnerable and lean on others. Likewise, when someone comes to us, be it a friend or our kids, we don't need to wish the hard away and live in the land of dreaming that things are different. Instead, we should be a firm foundation where they can unveil their struggles and still know they are loved. Our goodness, which overflows from God's love in us, needs to bring worth and value to them when they aren't sure where to find it.
Reflection
When you face trials, what is your gut reaction? How do you respond when others face trying circumstances?
What does it look like to embrace the trial and look for how God works rather than wishing it away?
Prayer
God, thank you for always being with me. Thank you for designing us to walk alongside one another. I pray for perseverance and stability in the trials that will come and energy to help those that You have placed in my life when they face trials. Amen.
Katie Robinson, Port City Kids' Home Coordinator, wrote today's devotional.