Trials bring understanding How do you give comfort to others? Often as an elite athlete, I am frustrated when things don't go my way. I put in so much hard work to perform well. There has always been so much pressure on me to achieve results due to the financial arrangements that exist in my sport. It’s easy to lose sight of the more important and larger things at stake. I must regularly step back and regain perspective. When I do, I remember God is up to so much more than I can see. He’s interested in accomplishing His purposes in and through me, not just whether I play the way I want to. As a good Father, He blesses me regularly, and often I get to play very well, but He’s always doing more, especially when I’m struggling. Scripture teaches us that in times of trouble, trial and challenge the Spirit comforts and encourages us. But it also teaches us that God allows us to go through hard experiences to prepare us to comfort others when they face similar challenges. This understanding helps us to maintain an eternal perspective and to remember that God is at work beyond what we can see. As much as a father wants to bless his children, and our God is a good, good Father, He is always making sure to advance His Kingdom in and through our circumstances. This is why Paul told us that the circumstances of his life would turn out for the greater progress of the gospel. Scripture to ponder – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (NIV) Key Lesson: Our temporal activities and accomplishments, even when they seem trying, serve to set the stage for accomplishing God’s eternal purposes.
2
1
