Pretest Proficient?

Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward. 

(Vernon Law)

And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

Have you ever noticed that we learn best from repeated lessons? We learned our multiplication tables by repeating them one by one, over and over again. We learned to drive our roadways, park a car, and navigate on/off highways by obtaining a permit to drive, instruction in how to maneuver the vehicle, and then practicing over and over again. Lessons repeated are seldom forgotten. They become a part of our 'memory' and are easily put into practice.

Our teachers used to give us something called a 'pretest' to see how much you knew BEFORE they taught the lesson. If you actually proved to be proficient during the pretest, you could 'test out'. In other words, you didn't need the lesson! If God were to give us a pretest today on the thing he might want to teach us right now, would we be 'proficient' and able to 'test out'? It isn't likely! We need the benefit of the pretest that reveals just how much we still have to learn!

If God thought it important to have Moses instruct the Israelites to 'review' his commands over and over again, how is it we think we can hear them once and be proficient at actually 'living' those commands each and every day? The reality is that we need the repeated lessons, each with a slightly different scenario to them, one building upon the other until the 'lesson' is well-learned. A well-learned lesson is one that we are able to put into practice without much effort at all! Just sayin!

Do you know where you are going?

But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside. (Job 23:10-11)

There are times when we feel like our path is a bit more complicated than we'd like it to be. We find ourselves knee deep in some muddle or another, wishing things could be different very quickly, but they just don't seem to change all that fast. In the 'testing pathway', will we remain faithful to what we believe, while wrestling with everything we find 'contrary' to the way we hoped life would turn out? If we struggle just a bit with the test, we aren't alone. Most of us struggle to make sense of things at times, but when we still trust God in spite of the difficulties, we are going to make it through!

God knows where we are going, even when we don't. That is good news for someone today who is on some 'path' to who knows where, wondering if God has abandoned them. He hasn't! In fact, if you look closer, you will see he has not only not abandoned you, but he has been carrying you for the past while because you have grown so weary in your journey! The 'testing pathway' may not be finished, but he hasn't abandoned you to your own devices. In fact, he has been helping you to sort out the stuff you want to take away from the journey and the garbage you will leave behind.

Stay and follow - two very distinctive words that describe commitment. In the midst of the test, it isn't uncommon to want to escape. If you are anything like me, you look around at the circumstances and take inventory. You find yourself looking for the good in the moment but being quite certain that nothing good will ever come out of it. Then you see a glimmer of light, a bit of hope dawns, and you trudge on a little bit further. More light comes, maybe only a sliver, but it is light nonetheless. You move on and follow the leading of that light. That is how we make it through, my friends. One tiny step at a time. One little battle with our emotions that want us to just give up after another. 

We likely have no way of judging what will await us at the end of the 'testing pathway', but when we stay the course, following his lead all the way, we are sure to find what God has prepared. Something that resembles refined, pure gold. Just sayin!

Leaning in, leaning on, learning more

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. (I Corinthians 10:13)

We should find a little reassurance in knowing the present temptation or trial we face is not dissimilar to what others have faced and survived. It may not be identical, but it could have been attempting to uncover similar issues within our character, just in a slightly different manner. The trial or temptation you face is meant to bring about one of two things: 1) bring out something within your character that needs to change; or 2) create something within your character that bolsters what is already there. God is either trying to rid us of something or allow something of greater depth to be produced within. Either way, we aren't to avoid these as much as allow them to draw us closer to where God desires us to be. When we reject the temptation, we draw near to him. When we embrace the trial, he creates a strength of character that likely didn't exist before the trial. Either way, we trust God, lean into his protection and provision, and grow. 

We lean into his provision whenever we seek to resist temptation - for he provides a way of escape for each one we face, regardless of how hard it may be in the natural to resist it. We just need to embrace the way of escape. It could be we struggle with some habitual response to a particular temptation, but God shows us what we could implement a particular action in order to break the 'chain' of temptation before we get bound by it. Example: We like to overeat or binge on snack foods. God's plan might be that we only buy our groceries online, avoiding the glitzy snack food items that are so prominently displayed on the end caps at the grocer. Another example is that we get angry when we arrive home to find dishes in the sink, countertops filled with crumbs and spills, and children just lazing around playing video games. We might find God tells us to send a text message 30-minutes before we are to arrive home, giving those who have made the mess the chance to 'clean up' before mom arrives. Breaking the cycle of sin is never easy, but it is possible, often with quite simple changes in our behavior. 

We lean into his protection whenever we go through a trial and refuse to lean on our own strength, know-how, and 'critical thinking' to get us through. We ask for his wisdom, listen intently, and then do what he prompts. We still go through the trial, but we are leaning on him all the while, refusing to take back the control we freely gave to him. It is easy to trust him early in the trial for his provision of all we will need to endure it, but it is much harder to do so when the trial gets long and arduous. Regardless of the length of the trial, we are being taught a great deal when we lean into his provision and trust him with the timing. Just sayin!

At the end of my comfort zone

God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Have you ever wondered why we go 'through' troubles instead of avoiding them all together? Jesus went through a lot of stuff while he fulfilled his ministry on this earth, not avoiding even some of the worst things a person could endure. If he didn't, what makes us think we should? Maybe the reason for going 'through' those troubles is so we can do what Jesus did - help others as they face similar troubles. It is quite possible God is making a way for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others as they face similar trials and troubles.

Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us to consider where a man stands 'at times of challenge and controversy', not so much where he stands in times of comfort. I believe where we turn, who we look to, and where we find our strength in times of trial or testing is evidence of how deep our dependence is upon God, ourselves, or others. C.S. Lewis told us that if we are only looking for 'comfort', we won't find it, but if we look for truth, we will find comfort in the end. It is a bit strange to think we abandon our 'comfort zone' only to find in the midst of life's chaos comes some of the greatest comfort mankind can find.

We may not want to admit it, but God isn't finished with us yet. There are more troubles ahead that we need to walk through, but he's waiting for us at the point of our need. God's comfort may not come in the form of 'deliverance from' as much as it comes in the form of 'deliverance within'. It is 'within' the trial that we find our own comfort disturbed and miracle of his comfort surrounding us. Maybe that is the reason for the trial - to disturb our comfort and to fill us with his. Our comfort is rarely sufficient to meet the needs of another in their time of trial, but his comfort within us is always sufficient for not only our own need, but that of another, as well. Just sayin!

Tried and True

But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside. I have not departed from his commands,
but have treasured his words more than daily food. (Job 23:10-12)

There are probably more times when you don't know exactly where your life is headed than there are the times you are 100% certain where everything will work out as planned. The good news is that God knows where we are headed, and he has prepared the path we walk upon. Stay on the path and you will come out the other side of this present journey tried and true.

Following God's ways in the midst of 'not knowing' is harder than it sounds. We want certainty, but God isn't always going to show us the end from the beginning. We just need to stay the course and trust him even when it doesn't seem like 'all is well'. Job didn't have a great perspective from the top of a dung pile, but he remembered to constantly seek God regardless of where life put him!

Is faith tested when all is well in our lives? Not usually. It takes a bit of a challenge to 'test' anything, doesn't it? You fill the inner tube with air and dunk it under water to see if it is 100% sealed. You rev the engine to a certain amount RPMs to see if it will endure the expansion heat and friction causes. Testing involves a certain amount of pressure - the very pressure we may not want or welcome!

Predetermine to stay the course - even when you don't have 100% certainty about what you will encounter along the way. You can know this for sure - God prepares the path, sets the course, and maintains us along the way. We just need to press in, remember what he has said in his Word, and allow it to sustain us as we traverse the 'testing ground of faith'. Just sayin!

We get there by going there

Dr. Seuss reminds us, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." So many times, we focus on the 'end' of things and forget all that happened in between the beginning and the end - the 'going through' part. We get through something, look back a bit, celebrate or mourn, depending on the occurrence, and then we commit to our memories something from that experience. It won't be the full details, but we will latch onto some part of it as the memory we will keep. If it was a happy occasion, we may not have wanted it to end. If it was just the opposite, we are probably grateful to have it over once and for all. Either way, it isn't the end that made the difference for us - it was the 'going through' that did.

If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God. (I Peter 3:13-18)

Do you think you can stop what you are going through? You might be able to devise an escape, but in the end, you will likely face something quite similar again. We can celebrate the toughest of things all because we 'go through' them with Christ. We 'get through' with attentive hearts, not side-tracked minds. We celebrate the beginning, middle, and end because we kept Chris central in it all. We were vigilant, determined, and obedient. We continually allowed the cleansing of our hearts, ordering of our thoughts, and balancing of our emotions - and we got through. Christ already went through it all - came out the other side of that tomb - celebrated the victory. 

We know life will not always be easy, but we can always find something good in the worst of circumstances when we have made Christ our focus through it all. How do we keep Christ first when the times we are facing are less than 'celebratory'? It requires a very 'conscious' effort on our part to remove our focus from what we are 'going through' and to place it squarely on his having 'gone through' it all for us already. When the emotions want to drift into dread, doubt, or distrust - ADORE him. When the mind wants to constantly rehearse the difficulties - ADORE him. When the spirit grows weary and the body weakens with each new day - ADORE him. 

ADORE him - delight in him; celebrate his goodness; relish his grace. ADORE him - treasure his guidance, honor him by using the wisdom he brings, and revere his truth. ADORE him - center your thoughts on his love, open your arms to his embrace, and settle into his peace. The way we 'get through' is by 'going through' WITH him - worshiping (adoring) him each step of the way. It may not look like we are ever going to make it, but by trusting in his grace, we shall. Just sayin!

Is it really a way of escape?

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 1:2-3)

Is anyone else like me, trying to get out of something a bit 'prematurely' because they are harder than you expected when you went into it? Trust me on this one, you and I will just find the next challenge a bit harder, so we might as well buckle down and finish this one! There is something that is 'required' of us and we need to see it through, or else face the next 'something' in order to do it all over again.

What is required? I don't know what your particular 'challenge' is right now, but whatever it is, God has a plan in it. That may seem a little hard for some to swallow, especially when the issue at hand seems kind of 'unfair', 'one-sided', or 'too much to handle'. It could just be that God is trying to show us we don't 'handle' these things on our own - we need and will receive his help to get through them. May what is required is our willingness to listen, then trustingly obey.

I've said this before, and I haven't changed my opinion on it - our 'faith-life' can be more than a little challenging at times. We get to the point where we feel the pressures from without, within, and who knows where. In the midst of the pressures, we sometimes want to cave. We want to throw in the towel and just walk away, thinking we will somehow be okay to 'not have finished that one'. It is a hard thing to have our 'faith-life' forced out into the open - revealing to us (and everyone else) our true colors, isn't it?

The 'work' that needs to be done is cut short whenever we 'turn tail and run'. If I had my druthers, I'd try to avoid these trials and tests, but that isn't how it works in God's family. I have learned my enemy likes to provide a way of 'escape' from the trial or test - one that will invite me to leave it way to early. I have to 'plan ahead' for his 'offers of escape' if I want to avoid leaving the path God has me on way too early to accomplish whatever it is he is trying to do within me. How about you? Do you have a plan to avoid the enemy's attempts to give you a way of 'escape' in your trial? I have found God's way of escape is often to walk right on through what it is I am trying so hard to escape. Just sayin!

We need a playbook here

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. (I Corinthians 10:13)

Pay close attention to the words here - nowhere in scripture does it ever say a Christian will be 'problem-free' in life, nor that temptation and testing will somehow just magically never come our way. In fact, it promises there will be both testing and temptation - trials of our faith; testing of our conviction and dedication. What is promised is that God will ALWAYS be right there to help us come THROUGH it. He never leaves us defenseless - he expects us to set up good defenses BEFORE we have to go THROUGH them!

All of us have to face trials and temptations - there is no way to escape the fact they will come our way. If we prepare AHEAD of time, going THROUGH them with Christ at our side will mean we stand a much better chance of resisting temptation and standing strong in the midst of trials. There is more to being 'prepared' for temptation than just 'trusting Jesus to help us make it through'. While I will never discount the importance of trusting Jesus, I also will never be so naive as to believe Jesus doesn't expect us to be READY for temptation.

Having a defense prepared ahead of time means we give some thought to what breaks our defenses down the easiest. For me, it is fatigue. I just don't do well when fatigue sets in. My answers become shorter, curt, and sometimes lacking in kindness. My desire to see something through to the end wanes and I leave things undone. I know this is one of the areas in my life where the enemy can find an advantage, so I have to prepare for those moments when I will become fatigued. 

I have learned to recognize them earlier than I used to, then I take a short break from what I am doing in order to renew my mind and energy levels. I might need a quick snack and some hydration because I have ignored both while I have been 'hard at work'. I might need to do something else for a while, so my mind is taken away from the things that are so fatiguing. My plan begins with recognizing the signs of fatigue and then exercising some 'good judgment steps' to avoid going down that path that leads to wrong behavior. 

You might have heard the saying, "the best offense is a good defense", and this remains true in our spiritual lives, as well as on the sporting field. We don't avoid trials - they will come. We don't resist temptation by good thoughts alone. We need a plan - a 'play-book'. When we are prepared, we recognize when trial or temptation is upon us and we begin to 'respond' rather than 'react'. Ask God to help you develop your 'play-book' in those areas where you are most tempted or frequently tested. He won't let you down - he even provides the resources we need to overcome. Just sayin!

A crown awaits

What's your trial? What is it you are attempting to bear up under right now? Some will quickly say it is this social distancing thing, limiting their ability to go about the normal day-to-day activities they would other find themselves doing. Others will admit their trial is some form of illness, perhaps even this COVID-19 or flu virus that is circulating. Still others will acknowledge they are under some spiritual trial, not really sure what it is they are under, but knowing they are fully and completely under some form of attack. Regardless of the trial, the expectation is the same - you hold up because God is holding you up.

Happy is the person who can hold up under the trials of life. At the right time, he’ll know God’s sweet approval and will be crowned with life. As God has promised, the crown awaits all who love Him. (James 1:12)

Holding up begins with us being in right relationship with God. The closer we draw to him, especially 'under pressure', the more we will realize we are 'surviving' not under our own power, but under his. Let me just say - there is no greater source of strength, nor is there any greater source of hope. No weapon will prosper against us when darkness is closing in around us - God is the one who dispels both the darkness AND the weapon! God's view on our present circumstances is much greater than ours - so why try to muddle through without him. 

How many times do we see all the negatives in the midst of the trial and forget there are a lot of positives we don't see? I think this is the case most of the time, because we naturally gravitate to the negative instead of the positive. Some may say they have this 'positive viewpoint' down pat, but let me assure you that we don't see things as positively as we may think. We have such a limited view of the circumstances that our full comprehension of the situation is just not going to lend itself to being positive about all that is going on that we aren't able to see. This is where trust comes in - when we cannot see the positive, or think we know all that is going on, we have to trust that God has all in his hands (the stuff we see and all the stuff we don't see).

I am not going to paint a rosy picture today - trials are tough, we cannot avoid them, and they take us to places we would rather not have to travel at all. Trials are 'negative' in their focus, but we don't have to be negative in ours! We can remain positive in the midst of the trial because we know our God is in control. Just sayin!

Do you clam up?

How good of a test-taker are you? I have met individuals who really struggle with this one because as soon as they get that exam in front of them they kind of 'clam up' and shut down. They just cannot focus and their efforts toward studying / preparing for the exam all go out the window. They are frozen in time. They have an anxiety moment that initiates the 'shut-down' and then they cannot seem to 'reboot' to get back on track. The testing challenges of life can sometimes put us into a mode where we find it hard to 'reboot' and get back on track again, right? There are just some challenges we don't imagine we will ever make it through, but let me assure you of this - you are prepared more than you will ever know!

Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. (James 1:12 MSG)

Let's face it - testing is hard - even a bit of an insurmountable challenge at times. We might think we are prepared, but in just a short amount of time we find out just how 'unprepared' we were mentally and/or spiritually. We did all the 'book-work' ahead of time, studying scripture and thinking we know exactly how to counter every attack about to come our way, but alas - - - something comes up we didn't count on. There we are floundering and finding we just don't have all the answers. At that moment we can choose to just 'shut-down' and be 'frozen in time' by the challenge, or we can take it to the altar and get God's perspective on it!

When we are loyally in love with Jesus, we find it a whole lot easier to bring those challenges to him and get his perspective. When our loyalties aren't so well-established, what scripture refers to as being double-minded, we find we kind of get pounded by the challenge and then we just 'clam up' because it overwhelms us. We don't possess all the wisdom, nor all the power to overcome those challenges alone. We aren't made to face them alone. We ARE supposed to prepare. We ARE supposed to do what we know to do. We AREN'T expected to know it all, nor are we supposed to do it all in our own effort. There are just some challenges that are met head on by the wisdom and power we get ONLY by being loyally in love with Jesus (with him clearly in control of our lives).

The 'head-on' moment comes more frequently than we'd like, but when you are about to enter into that challenge it isn't like a game of 'chicken'. It is more like a gladiator in the ring! We find we have power far above our own power, wisdom exceeding our ability to have studied and prepared. Why? Jesus is there with us and he is fully in control of the challenge's outcome - not us, not the devil, not the world system. Live life loyally in love with Jesus and see just how differently you can face those challenges. You might just realize your days of 'clamming up' come to an immediate end! Just sayin!

The making of a Royal Beauty

Now and again, mom begins a discussion by saying she doesn't know what she has done in this lifetime to 'deserve' all the pain she experiences because of her arthritis, stenosis, and neuropathy. Any one of those can be quite debilitating - add all three together and you rarely have a day when one or the other isn't a troubling thing. Add to this that she is legally blind, hard of hearing, and 100 years old, and you can see why she might just 'bemoan' some of these ailments once in a while! While we may not understand the 'why' behind the present set of worries and woes that we experience, we can be assured of one very important fact - the day is coming when we will live healed and whole once again if our hearts are surrendered to Christ!

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole. I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory. (I Peter 1:3-7 MSG)

It is our faith that is proven in the fires of all these present trials we may endure, my friends. We might not fully appreciate that as we are going through those trials, but the purest of gold isn't just 'found' somewhere along the way - it is exposed and rises to the top in the fire. I get it - fire isn't comfortable, nor is it desirable when the exposure has been long. I also have had many a conversation with God about 'why' some things had to go the way they did in my life and have come to the conclusion on more than one occasion that there really was no other way to 'prove' the 'metal' of character any other way. The fire was the turning point for something within me - it brought out some things I may not have realized needed to rise to the surface so they could be 'taken out' of my life, as well as exposing some things that needed to be realized for the beauty that was really there.

Healed and whole is a good goal, but if we live with the expectation of seeing that in totality while here on earth, we have unrealistic expectations set in our minds. We aren't going to beat disease 100% of the time - colds will happen, flu will knock us down a notch or two on occasion, and even bones will become brittle and less 'movable' over time. Parts wear out! We aren't going to avoid all calamity in life - storms will tear away roofing, waters will invade spaces where pipes didn't hold secure, and cars will get dings. We don't control the weather, nor can we observe pipework hidden behind drywall or buried beneath the earth. These things are not always in our direct control - so we will have to face them when they arise. We aren't going to be able to keep out all manner of temptation - media will bombard us in every direction, opportunities will present themselves, and desires will still mount an attack within us. We are human!

The very best news I can share with you is that Jesus isn't going to abandon us in the midst of the disease, calamitous event, or incessant temptation. He is going to be there in the midst of the 'fire', not because he wants to see us 'burn', but because he wants to show us how much beauty is being exposed in the midst of it. He doesn't allow the fire to punish us - he allows it to purify us. At first, this seems kind of cruel, but when we stop to consider the beauty produced because of the fire, we might just reconsider the value of it. Yes, we can get excited about the time when we will be whole and healed. Yes, it is something assured to each of us. Yes, the time will come when all these present worries just slip away. In the meantime, there might just be a little refining going on behind the scenes in our lives that is producing within us a thing of 'royal beauty' that compares to no other. Just sayin!

Have you asked him?

As with most 'baby Christians', I was one of those who actually believed that everything would come out all right - nothing bad would ever happen to good people because God makes everything work together for their good. Only good things are gonna happen to Christians, right? Wrong! It came as a surprise to me that bad things still happen to good people! What I failed to recognize is that God often takes us through periods of "adjustment" in order for his vision to be accomplished within us. He sometimes has to "enlarge" us enough to see what it is that he intends for us. The 'bad' isn't really meant to hurt us, but to make us see a new aspect of his keeping touch, understand a little more about his healing hands, and come to a place where we follow him no matter how the circumstances attempt to dictate otherwise.

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves...and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. (Romans 8:26-28)

One of the key characteristics of a yielded life is that of being "adjustable". That doesn't mean that we just bow to whatever new things come along. It means that God is always going to be expanding our vision - of who he is, what he has done in our lives, and how he wants to use us to accomplish his mission on this earth. In that "enlarging" or "expanding" process, he is increasing our faith - and opening our comprehension. Sometimes the greatest thing to come out of these times of 'not so good stuff' is the expansion of our faith - in areas we didn't even realize we weren't all that trusting of him!
Commitment and being yielded is a matter of being "governed" by something or someone. God has a purpose in governing our lives - so he works to enlarge our understanding of that purpose over and over until we come into a place where there is a fullness of faith and commitment to that specific purpose. We often only want to see God's purpose for our lives through eyes that focus on what that will accomplish for us (how it will bless our lives). God's intention in enlarging our faith is that we will see the blessing it will afford others, not just ourselves.

We often forget that we are called to be "channels" of God's blessing - we get caught up in the blessing and forget that it is meant to be shared - good stuff isn't to be hoarded. In scripture, Christians are referred to with many "titles" - priests, prophets, kings, kids, etc. Priests had a responsibility to be spiritual leaders - so when God calls us priests, he is asking us to lead others into spiritual insight and growth. Prophets spoke forth the message they were given - so we're to speak forth the message God gives us. Kings had authority to govern and rule - we are given authority as members of his kingdom to rule and reign. Kids had the right of family relationship - we have been given the access of a member of his family (intimately knowledge of God and his love). We are given access to all God's blessings, authority, grace and mercy - not to hold these things close and enjoy them for our own benefit, but to become channels of these to others. When we become less occupied with how a blessing from God affects us and open up to how he wants to use that blessing to affect others, we are beginning to have our vision enlarged. God is in the many and varied "details" of our lives - he focuses on what we often overlook. His Spirit is faithful to deal with the details, so nothing is overlooked. That is how everything is worked for good in our lives.

The Spirit of God is at work within us doing two things: 1) Exposing us to the very things that God is after in our lives (our dedication, our trust, our very hearts); and 2) Revealing to us the methods he uses to accomplish those things (the test or trial, the time of waiting). It is his purpose in our lives to do the necessary "adjustment" of our ways of thinking (how we process what we are going through) so that we interpret the methods God is using as the very thing that will work all things for good in our lives. The next time you are going through a rough spot in your life, you might want to take some time to ask God how he is enlarging you through what you are experiencing. God delights in showing you what he is doing - he often just is waiting for you to ask! Just sayin!

A different perspective helps

 All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.

(2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

Most of us don't want to consider that the hard times we are going through yourself may be designed for us to learn what we will need to know in order to come alongside someone else going through a hard time.  When we are in times of trial and the way seems pretty awful to us, the last thing we think of is that God would make us an instrument of his grace in the life of another!  As a matter of fact, we usually are thinking, "Get me through this as fast as possible, God! I want out!" The Apostle Paul spent a good deal of his ministry under house-arrest in a Roman prison - that is somewhat of a 'trial' for sure.  He was not free to go about the work of the ministry as he would have liked to - he had to resort to writing epistles, teaching what he could through his writings when his 'itinerant' ministry was put to a halt.  From his place of imprisonment, he penned the majority of the words we have recorded for us as the Pauline epistles.  His attitude was one of trust in his God, not chafing against the trials he endured, but embracing them for the value they produced in his life.  It is apparent that he had come to understand God comes alongside in order to not only bring him through the trial, but to prepare him to come alongside others in similar trials.

Being human, we sometimes focus on the hard times more than we focus on the good times, finding it easier to gravitate toward what is NOT right, focusing only superficially on what IS right.  Why is it that we go to the bad before we ever think upon the good?  Simply put, it is because we have a sin nature - we are pursuing what come NATURALLY to us. God's mission is to change that nature. His plan is to use the things of this life to expose the sinful side of our choices, motivations, and attitudes. It is 'this life' which is at his disposal to become 'teachable moments' for each of us. In so doing, he also is there to replace wrong choices with correct ones - something we often resist because it isn't very comfortable for us. He affects what motivates us by getting into our heart and spirit. In moving upon our emotions, setting them straight where they are all messed up, he begins to affect our attitude. In time, our sinful desires, patterns of behavior, are changed.

A question comes to mind: How can a Christian can grow up? Truthfully, the one asking this question is struggling with something they are trying to "grow out of" - most of growing up is really growing out of something.  Most of us are looking for a formula to follow - some mystical advice that will change everything in our lives almost instantly - like when we wanted so much to blossom into women, or grow that first facial hair. We want it so bad, until we realize 'growing up' isn't all that easy! The means to growing up: Don't resist the trials! Not what you expected? Well, it is the way God does business and we cannot circumvent his methods no matter how hard we try.  In the trial, he comes alongside. He is there, not as an observer, but as a participant in bringing us through with grace, peace, and exuberant mercy. He even provides others to assist us in the "moving through" phase of the trial.  

This Christian walk is not mystical - there is no immediate, instant growth process. There is no formula to follow. In fact, it is one consistent opportunity after another opportunity designed to help us lay down one pattern of sinful behavior or selfish attitude, taking up new patterns of righteous living and Christlike attitudes. Step one today, in today's trial, may not even be the same the same step required tomorrow. God is after our obedience, not a system of rules or regulations we follow - so the steps change from time to time. The next time you are in the heat of the trial, ask God who he will be bringing you alongside to help in their time of trial - who is it he is preparing you to be of assistance with later on as they move into their place of growth. Having the attitude that you are in the trial with Christ alongside and for the purpose of becoming a means of blessing for another can make it less difficult to bear up under. Knowing he will use us to come alongside another in similar trial gives us hope that we will get through the present trial! Just sayin!

Not another one!

Those who stand firm during testing are blessed. They are tried and true. They will receive the life God has promised to those who love him as their reward. (James 1:12 CEB)

There are certainly times of testing and trial - when you don't feel like you are ever going to be out from under the pressure of "issues" that just keep surfacing. You just get your head to the surface again, gulp a little fresh air, and another wave comes crashing down over you! Some time ago, I watched a movie about the first black Navy diver portrayed by Cuba Gooding, Jr. - born to a poor family, joining the military in hopes of finding that "better life". It is the story of our lives, isn't it? We want something "better", taking steps in that direction, only to find the "distance" between what we had and what we want is gigantically longer, harder, and more challenging than we ever expected.

Gooding soon comes to realize he isn't going to be "accepted" just because he wants to join the elite squad of divers - he must prove himself over and over again to both his peers and his instructors. We often want what others say we cannot have or accomplish, don't we? Some call us dreamers, or "out of touch with reality" just because we want what they believe we will never quite be "good enough" to reach. When pushed to our max, we bounce back, amazing even ourselves at times for the ability to "recover" and "get beyond" what some would label as "set back" after "set back".

The truth of the matter is that absolutely nothing that comes very easily in life actually makes our roots stronger - it merely blesses us and makes life a little "better" at the moment. Those things we never worked for, struggled to attain, or put forth some effort to enjoy are simply not going to help us stand strong in the midst of the battle. The sooner we realize the "fiber of our being" is made strong not by having a dream, but by putting forth the effort to see that dream become a reality, the less we will resist the waves and waves of resistance that comes with those dreams!

Maybe you have spoken those words lately that tell someone you just need a break from what you have been going through. Perhaps you have uttered those prayers out loud to God asking for something to "go right" for a change. This is only natural when pushed to the edge of our capacity. In basic training, I remember being pushed way beyond what some could endure. We each had the dream of being part of the "graduating class" at the end of that training, but week after week there were those who just couldn't make it. They didn't have "what it took" to make it to the finish line.

"What it takes" is sometimes contrary to what the world thinks it will take. When our marriage is challenged beyond what others may think is "repairable" - we dig in and try a little harder - confounding those who think we should just cash in our chips and walk away with our losses. When our kids are balancing on the edge of some very poor decisions and facing consequences we don't want them to go through - we stand by them while they endure those consequences - not because we want harm for them, but because we love them so deeply we help them to develop a few deeper roots of their own.

Capacity isn't "pre-determined" - it is developed over time. As we embrace the difficulties of the hard places and push beyond what some might think ever possible, we send roots deeper. Those roots are what will give us anchor and help us to stand strong. Capacity is expanded - not just accepted as a "set amount". It isn't stagnant - it is a growing and vibrant part of who we are as kids of the King. Just sayin!

When he tests...

“But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside." (Job 23:10-11 NLT)

When we are in the thick of things, we probably don't even think God knows what direction we are headed! The chaos of the issues bombarding us on all sides just leaving us with questions, uncertain outcomes, and decisions too numerous for us to even think about some days. We just cannot possibly imagine any other "disaster" that can come our ways, only to be broad-sided by something totally unexpected. Could it just be WE don't know where we are going at the moment, but that God has all things perfectly orchestrated and the outcomes already well under his control?

The key isn't that we know the destination, it is that we stay on course. To be totally transparent here, there have been more than a few times that if God had showed me clearly where it was I was headed before I started, I'd never have started! I would have opted out! I certainly wouldn't have chosen the pathway of single parenting, but when I was faced with that path, I put one foot in front of the other. There were more than enough days where I'd have to admit I didn't think I could do it, but my kids turned out to be pretty doggone great adults - not because of me, but in spite of me and because of God's gracious care over all of us. The times I have faced the uncertainty of losing a job, not knowing how the bills would get paid, or how long we'd be without health insurance between jobs - these weren't easy paths to traverse, but even when the path got a little bumpy and I complained a little more than I probably should have, he was right there with me each step of the way.

If you were to ask me how to make it past a certain catastrophic event in your life, such as the betrayal of a close friend, the unknown of losing a job, or the uncertainty of affording the repairs when the water main pipes breaking twice in one year, I'd have to say it isn't the "course" that matters - it would be the determination of your heart to not veer off-course even when it gets a little harder than you might like. The course isn't the issue - the determination and dedication of our heart is what counts! God knows the path you are on - he knows the end from the beginning. He knows what man intends for your "undoing" can become the greatest opportunity for his "doing"! 

Gold isn't pure when it comes out of the ground. It isn't pure until it is put through the fire. It isn't free of the smallest of particles of impurities that hang onto it for dear life until the fire has changed the consistency of that ore. Did you ever stop to consider just how big the gold ore is when it is mined and how surprisingly small the gold that can be extracted from it comes out to be? It is the path that purifies us - getting at the heart of what really matters in life and how determined we will be to hold onto what matters. Just sayin!

But it is a fire, Jesus!

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  (Philippians 4:8 NLT)

In a time with so much negative input through media of all sorts, it is imperative that we not lose our perspective on just exactly who remains in control. It has never ceased to be Jesus - for he holds all things together by his word. It has never once veered from the course of justice - for his reign demands nothing else. We can get caught up in the hype of the moment, distracted by all the violence and protests, or we can redouble our efforts to remember God is able to turn the circumstances of even the worst imaginable conclusion into something no one ever expected. 

Don't believe me? I would only have to remind you of a very hot, fiery furnace of old, where four men were planned for their final fate. The day they stepped into the furnace, the fires were stoked to astronomical proportions. What should have consumed them actually didn't even scorch them! Why? God was in the midst of them and he never forgot that his purpose was something greater than anything they could possibly have imagined!

In terms of "getting through" what seems to not be heading in the right direction, I'd have to point us back to our passage today. In these times of confusion, chaos, and calamity - turn to what is true, honorable, right and pure. Refuse to see only the ugly and look deeply to find the lovely and admirable - it is there - we may just have to look for it in unexpected places! Life is lived well when we refuse to focus on what seems unlikely to change - for all change is a result of someone being willing to focus on what is true, brings honor, stands morally and spiritually right, and is pure through and through!

That chaos and calamity might be what you see around you in our country right now. It could also be what you see in the shambles of broken and disappointing relationships. It might even be the state of your financial condition, or the brokenness of your body as disease ravages it beyond what you believed possible. Regardless of our circumstantial "need", God is the one who brings us to center again. He is the one who restores balance - not through conventional means, but through the unconventional.

You see, God empties us before he fills us - otherwise we'd not have capacity. God opens us up to see what is broken before he shows us the way to our healing. He shows up in the circumstance, not as doubt or fear, but as truth and faith in the midst of the lapping flames of doubt and fear. He is revealed not in the chaos, but standing firm and true in the midst of it! As we walk steadily in the truth he reveals, we might see the flames closer than we'd really desire, but never forget he is in the midst of them - drawing us deeper into them, not away from them! Just sayin!

One more wave

Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.  (Charles Spurgeon) 

I can recount numerous times when a particularly difficult season of my life seemed to be finally winding down, when I could just begin to see the clearing of the fog of chaos, and then almost imperceptibly there comes the "next wave" of trial! I know you have had similar experiences, when you didn't think there was much more you could or would have to face before the muddle you were in would clear and allow you some "breathing room". You might have even uttered the words, "Can it get any worse?" I think Satan might just like to hear those words uttered because he relishes in showing off his pretty ugly self all around us!  I have learned not to ask those words, but rather to ask God, "How shall you show yourself stronger than the trial adding havoc in my life today?"

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.  Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. (Galatians 5:22-25 NLT)

The trial teaches us who we are - who is at the center in our lives - what it is we hold onto more than anything else. If self is at the center, it becomes pretty apparent in the midst of the trial - through unsavory attitudes that emerge a little too frequently, or even the constant fear of what will come next because we don't have the peace of Christ in the matter. It reveal to us where our trust is squarely placed - either in self, or in Christ. There is no middle ground here. The trial will reveal areas of our lives where we need to let go and begin to trust Jesus like never before. In the natural sense, trust is defined as an assured reliance on the character, strength, ability, and truth of someone. I know for a fact that my character waxes and wanes - kind of a little too "situational" for my own good. I also know the truth I believe about myself is kind of flawed - because I have told myself many lies over the years!

As much as trials come, you'd think we'd be better at recognizing them and the value they actually carry, but we almost get blind-sided by them, don't we? It is like we didn't expect anything to "test" us - to place us in a position of having a little more chaos or discomfort than we wanted at the moment. As Spurgeon implies, the soil isn't turned by just watching it! It is turned because the plow is set to the ground, the team pulls the plow, and the one who guides the plow directs the team repeated over those patches of soil until they are of sufficient "texture" for the reception of the seed to be planted deep within it. Notice that I said the team is directed to take that plow over the same soil time and time again - in order to ready the soil. Even the farmer knows the soil is not ready the first time the plow hits the fallow ground! It requires continued efforts to be directed toward making it "receptive" to the seed.

In much the same way, we might just need to recognize trials come, not in onsey-twosey fashion, but in one "passing stroke after another" as the plow passes over the soil of our lives. It isn't that God couldn't do it all in one pass - it is that we need to learn to trust the care he places in making sure no rock is left unturned! It is that one rock that makes all the difference in how the growth he desires may occur! Until it is brought to the surface and finally removed, the plow will continue to pass. That may be a hard concept for us to grasp because we wonder how a loving God would require more trials instead of taking care of the stone the first time! I think it is because God knows if all of life was just instantaneous, kind of that "one-pass fixes it all" kind of lifestyle, then we'd never learn where it is we are to place our strength, who guides the passage of the plow, and who created the seed that will take root in that prepared soil!

God isn't allowing the "next wave" because he wants to hurt us or bring unnecessary upheaval into our lives. He is doing it because he wants to reveal areas of our lives where he is not our strength - where we are reliant upon our own self sufficiency, or where we have misplaced trust in another. If we begin to think about it, there are moments of rest - as when the farmer puts the plow away for the day and rests the team overnight. Yes, he sets to work the next day, but it isn't because he hates the soil - instead he sees the potential there and knows that until it is fully prepared, those small breaks are all he will give it. Relish the breaks - but don't count on the "tilling" to be over. Until the farmer realizes the soil has a certain "feel" to it, he will continue to work it. When it reaches that stage where the plow's blade just glides through it, he knows it is ready. It no longer resists the blade - it yields to it. Maybe we are right on the brink of being totally yielded to God's hand - trusting him to know when the soil of our hearts is just right. It may take one more "pass", but if it does, rest in the assurance that each passing of the "plow's blade" has a purpose. Just sayin!

Strengthened, but not petrified

Ernest Hemingway said, "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places."  He also said his life had a "tendency to fall apart" when he was awake, so he advocated for periods of sleep to lessen the effects of being awake! Isn't that the truth!  Our day-to-day life probably doesn't so much have the earth-shattering events which do us in as much as it has the constant "erosion" of time which seems to take a little bit of this and a little bit of that away from us without us even being the wiser it has done so!  As much as we need to be vigilant for the "big" things which might leave us toppled and seeking some type of grounding again in our lives, we probably need to be more aware of the things which come upon us in these gradual, and almost undetectable ways!

What sacrifice I can offer You is my broken spirit because a broken spirit, O God, a heart that honestly regrets the past, You won’t detest. (Psalm 51:17 VOICE)

I recently revisited the Petrified Forest in northern Arizona with my BFF.  We absolutely marveled at the mystery of this great forest felled by a flood of some sort, then those grand trees resting there covered by sand and debris for who knows how long until one day they were so hardened by what came upon them in that moment in time.  Life sometimes does that to us - it comes upon us with such force and magnitude as to literally topple us - uprooting us from what we once believed to be our secure foundation.  Then it leaves us under the weight of the debris which comes after this type of catastrophic event. In the end, because we remain covered by the debris, we begin to "petrify" under the weight - but even with the passage of time after such an event, God can bring something strong and beautiful from it.

Although most of life doesn't come at us in "flood-type" proportions, it does have a way of changing us by what it does bring our way.  If what the world brings upon us is allowed to break us, we often regret making the passage.  I believe when we reach out to God at our breaking point, grace is allowed to strengthen us instead of the events being able to fell us and leave us buried under weights we weren't designed to bear! Grace isn't really appreciated until we need it!  We don't need grace if we are doing everything and life is seemingly okay, do we?  We don't need it when life seems to be sailing right along, without much effort.  We often don't realize we need grace until whatever we see coming toward us seems to be coming at gale force speed, or earth-turning force!  No mystery there - we begin to cry out for grace because we just cannot withstand the impact of what is about to take us under!

I think God might just be more delighted by us seeking his grace even when we don't know we need it yet!  Instead of us waiting for the charging forces of the "flood" to come our way, causing us to call out in despair, I think he might just be more delighted if we'd trust him for the grace we need even when the only "disaster" we face is a little bit of "wear and tear"!  Just sayin!

It may not be Disneyland every day

We have been studying for a while about some of the obvious differences between the fool and the simpleton and the lackadaisical way they live life vs. the wise and those who use the common sense God gave them.  The differences can be dramatic, or just plain obvious!  Yet, there are times when the differences aren't so obvious - when it looks like we are making wise decisions and acting in pretty honorable ways, only to discover the path we are on is really one marked with all manner of selfish intent!  The wise come to realize some of their decisions may not have been "founded" in the right stuff.  The difference between the wise and the fool or simpleton in those moments is what they do when they come to realize self has been at the center of their decisions. Trouble manages to find us out - exposing what it is which is at the core of our being.  We encounter trouble for a variety of reasons in life, but one of the surest ways to encounter trouble is to make a commitment to live a life of obedience to God and him alone!  When we make him the center of our lives, all hell literally breaks lose!  Why?  Satan isn't one bit happy about our commitment and he will work to expose just how much of "us" is still at the center of our thoughts, actions, and attitudes.

My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.  If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm.  (James 1:2-6 CEV)

The testing of our faith engages us in things which expose the heart - the truth as to what motivates our actions.  We begin to see the depth of our faith and what (or perhaps the better word is "who") we are trusting in.  The wise will embrace trials and troubles as ways to expose hidden things deep within the heart which only serve to trip us up later down the road.  Instead of balking at trial or trouble, the wise embrace it - making it serve them as God intended for it to!  You see, God's intent in trials is to expose our faith and to purify us along the way.  As the trial dawns, the heart's roots begin to be exposed to the reality of what it is they are sunk deeply into - either the foolishness of self, or the solidness of Christ and Christ alone!

It should not surprise us that God brings wisdom into the solution for dealing with trouble or trial in our lives.  In fact, he wants us to ask for the solution - not just our deliverance!  Too many times, we only focus on the desire to be "out" of whatever it is we are "in" rather than to see what we can see while we are there!  I don't fully appreciate the reality of the hidden cave until I explore the depths of its walls, hollows, and trickling streams.  In the depths of exploration, I come to appreciate the path the waters have taken to form the inner depths of the caverns - leaving behind some beautiful displays to adore, but also carving out recesses which "leave their mark".  

The wise don't mind having their thoughts uncovered - for in so doing, they avoid making mistakes down the road.  They wise embrace the searching eye of the Holy Spirit - knowing he will expose only what no longer has a place in our lives.  I cannot emphasize the reality of this truth to you well enough - God isn't going to let us get away with coming to him, giving lip service to his truths, and then not allowing his Word to do the work it was intended to do.  The Word of God is not there as a thing to "consider".  It is in our lives as something to guide our thoughts, influence our actions, and separate the good from the bad in our lives.  It will expose the hidden, but it also presents the pathway to be free of whatever it is we have hidden away so well.

We want the easy road, but the wise will embrace the road "less traveled" in order to see self firmly dealt with by the grace of God.  Herein is the wisdom of asking God to take us on our journey rather than suggesting to God which journey we'd rather be on!  We often want Disneyland everyday of the year, but in truth, Disneyland is merely a place to delight our senses, satisfy our yearning for fun and games, and create a sense of happiness which is really not founded in truth at all.  If we want true happiness, we embrace the trial - not the "pretense" of happiness!  Just sayin!

Popping the balloons

Endurance is often defined by one's ability to hold out without giving into some impairment or difficulty.  In "undergoing" some stress, you are able to come out the other side still standing.  Over the course of my life, I have learned not everything we "undergo" is designed to leave us "standing" - sometimes we need to be in a place which displays a different type of "strength" than being able to "stand".  In other words, sometimes the "strongest" place we find ourselves is in admitting our weakest place within!  There is something which comes in the times of "trouble" in our lives which has a way of revealing these "weak" spots - and I think God may have just designed the thing we "undergo" to reveal that "spot" so he might help us with that weakness.

My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble.  You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested.  But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything. (James 1:2-4 CEV)

Since most think of endurance as the ability to push beyond the "weak spots" in life, it stands to reason we will attempt to "get beyond" whatever it is we are "undergoing" by whatever inner strength we can muster on our own.  We think we can somehow avoid coming face-to-face with the weakness we are trying so hard to ignore.  Guess what - no matter how hard we try to ignore a weak area, eventually the stress put against that weak area will cause that area to be exposed!  Don't believe me - try blowing up a balloon until you think it is at capacity.  Then put a little more air, then a little more, until you begin to see the latex in that balloon stretch to reveal those tiny areas, now stretched to capacity, where you can almost see yourself through them.  While the balloon was only half-inflated those weak areas were not all that visible.  With a little more "air" in the balloon, stretching it to a new capacity, those areas of weakness become more and more apparent.  Deny they are there all you want, but those tiny areas now become quite translucent and imminently ready to pop!

You see, our weaknesses have a way of being discovered - not so much in the times when all is going so perfect for us, but in the times we are "stretched" to what we may feel is "beyond" our capacity to endure any more.  Just as the balloon began to reveal those weak spots, we will begin to reveal ours because the trial brings a "translucency" to those areas. What was once unrecognized because it was only a "tiny weakness" now can be revealed for just how big of a portal of "exposure" that weakness creates in our lives.  I watched a show the other night on how balloons were made.  Of every twenty balloons, they blow up one or two from the batch to ensure they will hold air - no flaws "too big" to cause them to not be stretched to what is the "desired capacity".  Now, at first, this seemed like adequate "quality assurance", but that left 18-19 other balloons in the package which were never tested!  Sure, one or two were proven strong enough to stretch to capacity - but what about the others?  You know how they get tested?  When you and I actually need to use them in our lives!

Most of the testing we undergo is not "in the factory time" - those moments when we are alone with God and he kind of has us under the "microscope" in the quietness of our personal time with him.  Nope - the majority of the testing we undergo is in right smack in the middle of living life.  Yep, one or two of our "balloons" were tested in the "alone time" with Jesus, but the other eighteen will be tested when the demands are placed upon us in the regular living of life.  Keeping in mind what I have already said, those times of "stretching" soon reveal the areas not previously recognized where we need God's help to replace our weakness with his strength.  What the stretching does for us is bring evidence we are not as strong as we might have suggested we were!  In fact, we begin to realize we not only have one weak area, but multiple!  This is were the opportunity comes for most of us to attempt to conceal the weak area(s).  We somehow think if we just "turn the balloon" around so no one sees the "stretched" area, no one will know it is there and we will escape the scrutiny of having that area "exposed".

Think again!  Before long, a little more air will fill the "balloon" we know is at the "riskiest" place in terms of capacity to take anymore of the stretching.  Even if no more air is pumped in - no more "capacity" is demanded - those weak areas make it even harder for the "balloon" to "remain filled"!  Knock the balloon around a couple of times and those weak areas begin to feel a new type of stress - although their "internal capacity" was managed, their external pressures are not!  This is how it is in life - we might get a handle on the internal pressures, effectively "shutting off" anything else trying to come "in" - but we cannot control all the things coming at us which knock us around a little on the outside!  Either way, we soon realize if we don't ask God's help to deal with those weak areas, we are about to "pop"!  Knowing what we know about balloons, what happens when they "pop"?  Do they have "capacity" any longer to function as they were designed?  Nope!  In fact, their "pieces" are scattered, they're left stretched out, and all that remains is "remnants" of the former. This is kind of like what happens to us when we don't recognize our areas of weakness, or do our best to simply ignore them - we are left with remnants!

I don't know about you, but instead of "proving" I can endure, successfully cut of the flow of what gets inside, and then cleverly manipulating to "cover up" the weaknesses inherent in my character, I am choosing to have God test all the "balloons" in my package!  Just sayin!