Are you thankful for your challenges?
When something bad happens to someone we love and care about, we often wonder how God could allow something like this to happen. Why would He want our loved ones to suffer?
Yet, we witness it every day. Friends with cancer, relatives enduring financial crisis, or neighbors going through a family feud. These types of problems remind us that suffering is a reality for all.
And when hardships occur, our stewardship lenses tend to get cloudy.
After all, we are supposed to be thankful for all that God has blessed us with. Does that mean we are supposed to be grateful for our blessings as well as our challenges? Yes, actually, it does.
Our challenges are actually blessings in disguise. Sometimes, suffering is necessary, even important. If someone we know is enduring an illness and can’t take care of their family, it is a chance for others to step in and help out. Without suffering, there would be no opportunity to serve others.
Suffering can also lead to a spiritual transformation for the person in pain, as well as for those nearby. In dealing with a hardship, an individual becomes better prepared for future endeavors. With the struggle endured, the suffering individual gains a new perspective and life experience that enables him or her to tackle the next challenge ahead.
Above all, hardships prepare us for all the other things God sends our way.
It may be hard to do, but recognizing our challenges as gifts from God, and being thankful for them, is part of being a steward. We are called to be thankful to God for all he sends our way, both the good and the bad.
