The Gift of a Challenge

The Gift of a Challenge

Consider it a sheer gift, friends,

when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. 

You know that under pressure,

your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. 

So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. 

Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed,

not deficient in any way.

James 1:2-4

When I purchased my home, I knew that I would have to completely remodel the main bathroom.  I scheduled the project knowing that there would be inconvenience involved, but I had a tiny half bath in my bedroom that would ease the suffering.

Unfortunately, when the contractor removed the drywall adjacent to my half bath, he discovered black mold on the drywall of the small bathroom, requiring the infected wall to be removed.  I gave the go-ahead for them to remodel the half bath as well.  The decision was the right one, but it left me with a bit of a quandary:  no functioning bathroom in my home.

After reading today’s text from James, you might chuckle at my thought that my bathroom situation was the kind of trial that the apostle was talking about.  But I believe that anything, small or large, that challenges our patience and our politeness is just exactly that – a chance to grow and mature in our behavior and attitudes.  Three days into the remodel, my contractor friend broke his big toe, slowing down the process a bit, but hey – life happens.  His toe was his trial and my bathroomlessness was mine. We take so many things for granted in this life, and when we are deprived of them, it is a wonderful lesson in being thankful for even the smallest blessings.

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Come, thou fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy praise.

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount!  I’m fixed upon it,

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 400