We all have tragedies and trials that we have to face in life. Some trials are small and some are big. The size of the trial is not as important as we think. A trial is a trial, and when we are going through one, our feelings are the same. When we are going through a trial, we feel hopeless, lost, scared, frustrated, and worried. We often feel alone and believe there is no one who understands. We can lose faith during a trial and sometimes question God, wondering why we have to go through such a terrible event. However, there is triumph over the trial. We truly cannot go through this life alone. We have to rely on God. We have to have faith that He is in control and that He will see us through.

We all know people who do not believe in God. They are sometimes fairly vocal about their beliefs. Imagine for a moment being a non-believer and then going through a trial. Even when we do believe in God, we can lose our hope during a trial. If you do not believe in anything, that hopelessness is so much bigger. Everything is that much more difficult for a nonbeliever. When we believe in God and have faith in Him, we can face anything. Trials do not last forever, comfort is at our fingertips, and death is not final. We can draw a lot of peace from those facts. The trials we face also make us stronger and lead us to a better walk with God. Sometimes we have to face a trial to get to a new level of living. Sometimes a trial, as difficult as it is, can be the best thing that can happen to us.

For example, take Doris Day. I bet you didn’t see that coming. I am a huge Doris Day fan. Well huge is probably an understatement. I love, love, love her. When I think of her, I cannot help but smile. She just makes me feel good. I love her movies, her songs, her television shows. I love everything about Doris. Oops, I think I got off topic for a minute. I promise that I have a point. Doris was a dancer as a young girl. She was quite good, and she believed that was going to be her career. She had a partner, a young boy close to her age. Together they danced at local events and become quite well known. Finally, someone from Hollywood recognized their talent, and they were signed to go there and dance in movies. Their mothers decided to have a going away party for them. The party was scheduled the day before they were to leave. The night of the party Doris was involved in a terrible car accident. Her leg was severely broken, and the doctors thought for a time that she would never walk again. Ms. Day did walk again, but she was told that she would never have a career in dancing. I am sure that this devastated her and that she could not imagine why such a tragedy had happen. As she was recovering from the accident, she began taking singing lessons, and to her surprise she was quite good. Her singing took off and the rest is history.

This story just proves the point that sometimes something we see as devastating and hopeless turns out to be the best thing that could ever happen to us. Had Doris not broken her leg, she may have never had the long career that she had, and the world may have missed out on her talent and goodness. Sometimes in our own lives, the trials we face are the best thing for us. God has to bring a little rain to our lives in order for us to grow. The rain will help wash away all the bad and unimportant things in our lives and make us focus on the good. Sometimes the storms of life will help us get our priorities aligned, and we will discover God’s purpose for our lives. Even though trials are hard, we can grow and have a better life because of them. However, the only way to face the trials and grow is to have faith in God and let Him guide the way. He is right there by you, even if you cannot feel Him. Lean on Him and have faith the size of a mustard seed.

When we face a trial we cannot give up, and we cannot stop relying on God. God is the ultimate peacemaker, and He will bring peace to our lives during the trial as well as after the trial. Peace will set us free and in turn set the entire world free. So, the next time you go through a trial, don’t lose hope. Lean on God and trust Him. I promise He will lead you through it, and when you come through the storm you will have more peace and PEACE MATTERS!

~Dan~