Closer in Trials
By Lexi Cole Ellis
And the God of all grace, who called you to his
eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will
himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
1 Peter 5:10 (NIV)
I
recently looked up the life of St. Patrick. Because I don’t come from a
Catholic background and my family is pretty ethnically mixed, this Irish holiday
has never held a lot of meaning for me. All I really knew about it was that the
shamrock represents the Trinity, which seemed like a cool connection to my
faith, so I figured St. Patrick might be someone worth learning about.
I
learned that “Patrick’s life was marked with difficulty.” [1] He was born on March 17, 387. And
when he was about fourteen, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates. As I continued
reading, his life played out like a well-thought-out book. He grew closer to God in the midst of
his slavery. During his captivity, he prayed and wrote…learning more about God
and deepening his faith. Even though he remained a slave until his early
twenties, he never gave up on God. When he was finally able to escape, he lived
his life as a bishop, preaching and building churches for the next forty years.
[1]
I
immediately thought of similarities in Scripture. Like Joseph in the Old
Testament, who was sold into slavery and grew closer to God in spite of unfair
circumstances that lasted for, not just a few days or weeks, but years. I
thought of how Jesus taught that we will experience trials when we choose a
relationship with God.
I also thought of the opposite response - - that
instead of drawing closer to God like Joseph or St. Patrick, some choose to
complain or give up. Like the Israelites in the Old Testament who often
complained about the “good old days” (a.k.a. slavery in Egypt). Or Job’s
friends, also in the Old Testament, who encouraged him to just curse God and
die when things got significantly difficult.
It
made me wonder. Which is true in my life? Do I complain and question God’s
providence in my life? Or do I draw closer to God in those times? Is my trial marked
with an active prayer life, being in the Word, and surrounding myself with a godly
community?
Without
negating the reality that our struggles and trials are very real and very
heartbreaking, the reality remains that our God is bigger and longs for us to
draw closer to Him in the midst of it.
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
Reflect on the big times of trails in your life, whether they
are in the past or trials you are currently going through. How did you respond?
FURTHER
READING:
Lexi and her husband, Andrew, have an adorable dog named
Calvin. She teaches sixth grade at Silver Lake Intermediate School. Lexi serves
with Children’s Ministries and is the Fresh Start Coordinator.
