Trials

(Original appeared April 21, 2016)

No, not the Matlock version of trials. The trials that we face which lead us to fully rely on God’s grace and love for us.
Yesterday, this passage was front and center on my phone app “widget”:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:3-7)
I noted words like guarded, tested, precious, and praise. Why do we suffer these trials? Because ultimately, they bring praise and honor to God. Think of what He has done through Jacob already. How many of us may have slacked in our prayer life until the last 10 days happened? Have you hugged and loved on your own children more in the last 10 days than you did before? I’ll add that we’ve never felt love and friendship like we have in the last 10 days! We praise him for all of this even during these rough times.
Jacob has been struggling a tad but remains stable. He will need a 3rd blood transfusion today. His lungs were a bit more cloudy this morning and he’s not been able to stay real steady on oxygen. But overall things remain stable and we are glad for that. Tomorrow he gets follow up head and heart ultrasounds. We pray that both show positive progress. -R