Here's the truth: A life of no pain and all ease makes one weak. It doesn't build character or stamina for everything to always come easy or be easy. So many of the qualities in others we all admire were developed because a trial absolutely demanded it! It's those floods of life that bring a greater level of maturity and allow patience, hope, and endurance to have their full work in us. That kind of growth, or gain, doesn't come unless there are problems, or pain.. In other words: No pain. No gain.

I love spring, because I enjoy working in my yard, weeding out the old and bringing in the new; but, by the time summer arrives, I've had enough! It's then that you'll hear me say such things as, "I'm not buying anything else! This is it! I have enough flowers and shrubs to last me for a lifetime!" But, alas, my commitment is soon forgotten. By the following spring I'm back in the garden center at, I'm ashamed to say, most of our local home and garden stores. I'm like a junky! I can't get enough! I not only plant new stuff, I move around the old stuff . . . every year . . . like clockwork . . . rain or shine . . . every single year . . . just ask my husband. Well, maybe we won't go there! Anyway, during one of these planting/re-planting seasons, I read an article explaining how to take care of new or transplanted plants (so I'm not the only one that does it!), and I discovered some very interesting instructions on watering techniques. The garden expert's advice was to restrain from watering newly planted or transplanted things every single day. The correct way to do it? Wait long enough for the soil to dry out and the plant to show the early signs of distress before watering it again. This actually toughens the plant and makes it better able to resist diseases and insects - not to mention the fact that absence of water at the surface forces the plant to send its roots deeper in search of moist soil, thus, encouraging it to take root! Good information, huh? All this time I thought I was helping my plants by watering them every single day, pampering them until they adjusted to their new environment, but I was actually hurting them!

"But what does this have to do with anything spiritual?" you ask. Well, I'm glad you brought that up. You see, we think a life in which we would constantly be watered and pampered - a life of all ease and no pain - is the life we want and need, but God says the opposite is true. The struggles in life are what make us strong enough to race with horses and battle against flooding rivers! It's the hard times of life that build us and grow us, equipping us to fight the real enemy of our life. In addition to strengthening us in our ability to resist and stand against our enemy, difficulties also feed and encourage our relationship with God. This is usually true because it's during those times of distress that we seek God the most! Many times it's not until we experience a little trouble that we go deeper with Him.

Of course, this is all just more living proof of Romans 8:28 - that ALL things work together for the good of those who love God. The understanding of this truth is one reason Joseph could look at his brothers who had sold him into slavery and tell them he was okay with it all. "What you meant for evil, God meant for good," Joseph said. Genesis 50:20 By this time, he had suffered rejection, abandonment, and physical abuse. He had been humiliated, forgotten, and imprisoned for a crime he had not committed. Any other man would have been so bitter by now these brothers would have been his target of revenge, not forgiveness! But Joseph allowed the very things that could have beaten him down to serve as God's tools to bless and strengthen his life. Everything, even the painful experiences, worked together for Joseph's good, preparing and maturing him for the position of honor and responsibility God had in store for him. It was a long and often difficult journey for Joseph, but it was a journey that carried him the distance from slavery to second in command to Pharaoh! Did you get that? From slavery to second in command!!

Tougher times and bigger responsibilities are ahead for you and me. What kind of father would allow us to face them unprepared and vulnerable? Our Heavenly Father is at work in our lives, allowing distress that will force us to develop a holy resilience and a root system so deep that we'll be able to stand firm through anything - the hottest heat and the driest drought. (Jeremiah 17:7-8 )

Have you come upon tough times? Are you wondering, like Jeremiah, how long you'll have to endure? Go ahead and ask Him, "How long is this going to go on, Lord?" And His answer will be, "As long as it takes."

Endure the pain; it's worth the gain!

Prayer for Today

Father, thank You for the assurance that ALL things work together for my good! I'm committing myself right now to the endurance of the pain, believing in my heart that it will be worth the gain! May my testimony be the same as Paul's: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful."

1 Timothy 4:7