A Beautiful Day!

As I look out my window, I see the sun finally shining, birds singing, people out and about enjoying the beautiful weather. It really has been a tough, rain soaked spring, but I think it makes us appreciate the nice weather all the more. It is usually that way, we only really seem to develop a sense of appreciation after having enduring the bad like suffering a loss or enduring the betrayal of a friend.
A great example would have been Job. Here was a man blessed by the LORD, only to have it all taken away. The Donald Trump of his ancient day, he lost everything when God allowed Satan to test his faithfulness. But in it all, despite the accusations of his three friends that he must have sinned against God for him to punish Job so severely, by God's grace, Job perserved. Though Job would question God and His decisions to allow what happened to him, he remained faithful to God. And God would reward Job's faithfulness by blessing him with more than he had before.
We in the 21st century are no different in that we also suffer and sometimes according to the will of God, except in that we have lost the ability to cope, persevere and turn to God in times of need. No one in this day and age can truly claim to have "the patience of Job".We attempt to control our circumstances, holding onto a lie that somehow we are in control of our destiny and if we can manipulate things just right, everything will work out to our benefit. But we need to understand the things God puts us through are for our benefit, and I mean the things He tests and proves us with, not the sin and it's consequences that we bring on ourselves (though He can use those too). He loves us, as He did Job, and uses the difficult to develop our patience, endurance and perseverance. After all I speak from experience, since God used the most difficult time of my life to bring me to a saving faith in His Son.

So as I again look out my window, I find myself really appreciating the sun and it's warm embrace. And I might even enjoy the rain that's forecast for tomorrow. I better get outside while the sun is still shining.....have a blessed week.