«My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials» (James 1:2).
BLACK CLOUDS OF TRIALS covered the hearts of those newlyweds. Despite being a professional, he had been left jobless because of his religious beliefs; she had had an accident from which she never recovered and which left her hunched down and in pain. The conditions in which they lived were not at all flattering. They shared a narrow room in which only a bed and a desk could fit. Beside it was a small space that served as a bathroom. Every day that passed, the furnace of their trials was heated more and more, as if wanting to melt those young hearts of the newlyweds, full of hope but also of hardships. But the trials did not draw them away from God.
I wonder what the trials you are going through in your life are like, but mostly I wonder if they have taken you away from God or if, on the contrary, they have brought you closer to Him. Today, many Christians go through trials of economic hardship, of unemployment, sickness, discrimination, or misunderstanding. The world can be a tremendously hostile place, and to join forces in the face of such hostility it is good to look at the past and gain some perspective.
Characters from the past such as Huss or Jerome, who denounced the religious injustice of their time and the corruption that characterized the highest spheres of official religion, were accused of being heretics and ended up dying at the stake because of their faith. Centuries before, Stephen, the first martyr, suffered a similar death. Not even Jesus, the Son of God who came to
save us, could live a life free from conflict and death (and death on the cross). Persecution, economic hardship, unjust treatment, and death—these are difficulties that affected our Savior, and the gospel calls us blessed for sharing in them, just as Huss, Jerome, and Stephen were blessed.
Feeling blessed when we are going through a hard time? It seems like an impossible concept to understand. One of the keys to achieving this is found in the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary:
«There is no experience in life, however bitter or disappointing, that may not, in the providence of God and by the grace of Christ, contribute to Christian growth, bring us closer to God, and enrich our understanding of His love for us» (vol. 7, p. 504). Let us trust in this. Amen.
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Take From: Daily Devotions for Women’s 2020
«One Day at a Time»
From: Patricia Muñoz Bertozzi
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Alejandra Zavala
