when the bottom falls out.

The last 18 months have held both the best and worst moments of my entire life. I asked a couple friends today, “how can you have both the best and worst year of your life in the same year?”

At home this afternoon,  I watched a message in which Francis Chan read this:

“2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” – James 1:2-4 NLT (emphasis added)

Later on, I read this in a book that I’m reading: 

6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. – 1 Peter 1: 6-7 NLT (emphasis added)

I know for certain that this is true: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28 NLT, emphasis added)”.

When our faith is tested, each trial, setback or tribulation WILL work together for our good and through such testing our faith becomes genuine and unwavering.

Romans 8:28 doesn’t say “some things” will work together, it says, “EVERYTHING” will work together for our good. But, I have to be honest, when going through something, it’s hard to believe this is true. When the bottom falls out and you’re free falling to the ground, it’s hard to trust that God’s going to catch you as you inch closer and closer to the ground. But that’s why we have to turn our gaze upward toward God rather than downward toward the problem. Only then does the free fall become a trust fall.

This is how my year has been both the best and worst.  In trusting God He has restored what was lost and rebuilt what was torn down during trials. Essentially, He’s caught me every time that the bottom fell out. It doesn’t mean that I didn’t feel or can’t remember the pain of what’s been lost, but it does mean that I can trust a Holy God to rescue me when I think all hope is lost.

Our Father’s intentions are not to hurt us, but to refine us. He says,

I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.
    Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.
11 I will rescue you for my sake—
    yes, for my own sake!
I will not let my reputation be tarnished,
    and I will not share my glory with idols! 

-Isaiah 48:10-11 NLT

God has a reputation to uphold. As He refines us and allows us to go through periods of testing, He’s also planning our rescue. As we are refined and our endurance increases, we are better equipped to handle the trials that life will surely throw our way. Jesus said that we would endure suffering, but WE WILL ENDURE… we will get through it!