November 19, 2024

I was halfway through a fifty-mile race. I had been running for hours, and would not be stopping anytime soon. My knees ached, I had blisters that had started at mile six, and it had been raining all morning. I decided not to worry about the task ahead, and instead focus on getting from aid station to aid station. At mile forty, I realized I was still holding my goal pace. Suddenly, I was in a great mood.

Hardship can expedite the process of learning. The catch is that you must stay in the hardship, and even revisit the situation afterward, to see what you have learned. Remember the verses from 1st Peter: "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."

These trials or hardships prove who we are and what we believe. They are the proving grounds of our lives. So rejoice in the hardship, and live your life to His honor and glory!