Going Through Hard TimesSample

Why We Experience Trials 

When it comes to trials in our lives, one word that’s usually at the forefront of our lips is why. Because trials are difficult, painful, and miserable, we usually ask, “Why is this happening to me?” and we almost never get the answer we’re looking for. They make us doubt what we believe because our own desires are being tested. 

As we learned on Day 1, Jesus taught us that we’d have trouble. Life as a Christ-follower isn’t void of difficulty. Our world is fallen and broken with fallen and broken people who do fallen and broken things. Of course, there will be trials. People will do things that will affect us. We’ll do things that will affect others and ourselves. We may not mean to, but our actions still cause pain in someone else’s life. Maybe even our own.

Here are a few reasons we go through trials:

Spiritual Development
Regardless of how trials enter our lives, they can be used as a tool to strengthen and develop our character and our faith. When we go through things that test our patience and resilience, we can either work with the trial and allow it to strengthen us or we can keep fighting against it. It is incredibly difficult to allow hard times to refine us but when we do, the finished product, which is a better, more godly version of ourselves, is worth it.

Consequences of Choices
There’s a harsh reality when it comes to choices and that’s the consequences that follow. Oftentimes, our trials and hardships are a direct result of how others live their lives and we live our lives. We can either suffer because of someone else’s actions or our own actions. Some actions are sinful, and when they are, the consequences that follow are anything but good. 

Spiritual Attack
When it comes to Satan, our spiritual enemy, we either give him too much credit or too little credit. Every bad thing that happens to us is not his fault but understand that he does play a role in the difficult circumstances that we face. 

On Day 3 of this Plan, we’ll dive into hope-filled Scriptures that will show us that God is always working to use anything and everything for our good as well as to impact the world. 

Reflect

• Think back to a trial you’ve faced. Do you think it was a test to develop your character, a consequence of a choice, or a spiritual attack? Write down your thoughts.