Now What?

“Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way,

let it be an opportunity for joy.

For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”

James 1:2–3

• I remember learning in grade school about the lowly oyster. I was amazed at its ability to do the miraculous. Irritations get into the oyster’s shell. Unable to expel them, it slowly uses them to make something precious and beautiful. Can we do the same with the irritations and grievances that keep rubbing into us each day? According to James, we can. All it takes is a particular attitude. Normally, when we see trouble coming we begin moaning and complaining. Suppose we thought, “I don’t like it, but it is, at least, a chance to grow”? Not easy! But endurance, like a pearl, isn’t cheap. So let us ask God to show us how to let every event of our lives be a means of growth—even if it’s simply the progress of patience and perseverance within us. Pearls are valuable because it costs much to make them.

#inspiration #cupofcomfort