The Transforming Power of Struggle

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance (James 1: 2–3, NIV).

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash (Matthew 7: 24–27, NLT).

I still remember the phone call on July 4, 2003. I was riding passenger with my friend as we traveled south to Knoxville, TN to attend a summer basketball camp. I was just 16 years old, but that summer God used a significant trial to forever change the trajectory of my life and that of my family. A second phone call confirmed that my older brother had been injured in a serious ATV accident, one that would result in many days spent in the ICU at University of Louisville hospital, loss of a limb, injury to his brain, weeks of rehab at Frazier, continued outpatient physical therapy upon his return home, and a lifetime of navigating this world as a lower limb amputee. This summer marks 17 years since that accident. Though the outcome of that day has left a permanent mark on the life of my brother and our entire family, hear me say this—GOD IS GOOD.

My brother is still here. This August he and his wife will celebrate 15 years of marriage. He’s married to the twenty-two-year-old girl he was dating at the time of the accident—who stayed with him through everything. They have four beautiful children. I love how God uses difficult seasons in our lives to lead us onto the path He has for us, which, for me, was becoming a physical therapist. August marks eight years since I graduated and God began working through me to help bring comfort and healing to others, just as He did for my brother all those years ago.

The verse quoted from James is one that can be difficult to get behind. Outside the context of the Bible, the words trial and joy aren’t often used together. Yet I can argue that I believe maybe they should. Stick with me while I go all nerdy on you for a minute, but I think there’s value in comparing this biblical truth to a scientific process that happens all the time—testing of metals.

By definition according to Wikipedia, metal testing is a process or procedure used to check composition of an unknown metallic substance1. If you read further, there are multiple types of testing but are all designed to provide more information about a particular metal and how it will withstand certain elements that may be applied to it when utilized in a particular environment (i.e., to determine building materials, construction of motor vehicles, etc.). Metal testing is so vital because it allows the manufacturer to better understand how certain materials will perform when they’re loaded and how much deformation they can handle without breaking under that pressure. Isn’t this so true of our Christian faith?

When you think about manufacturers, there’s always a comparison of who’s best. Certain folks are Ford people. Others will always ride with Chevrolet. For some, Nissan is their manufacturer of choice. And of course, there are the loyal Jeep folks. Though in this world we are constantly faced with making decisions regarding which maker is best (and automobiles is just one example of many), I’m so thankful that I don’t have to decide what or who is best. My maker, Jesus, is the Great Manufacturer.

Because we live in such a broken world, all of us will face trials and struggles. When we find ourselves in the valley of unexpected tragedies, our bodies, hearts, minds, and spirits may be bent in ways we never imagined. It may feel as though we are completely broken under the pressure of whatever it is we are facing. And, like it did for me that summer, it will often hit us in completely unexpected ways. Take heart my friends; we have a choice to face them with Jesus. If we turn to the seventh chapter of the book of Matthew, scripture reminds us that we must build our lives on a foundation of bedrock. That bedrock is Jesus.

When you are a daughter or son of our one true Creator God, we can know with confidence that, though we may have to withstand much testing, we will not fail when our faith is built upon the foundation of Jesus. Rains, winds, floods. Divorce, financial struggle, health crisis. Though we don’t know when or in what form, the storms will come. But, when we draw our strength from Jesus, He will provide everything we need to withstand the pressure of any test or trial we may face in this life.

Trials of many kinds—yes. Easy—no. Perseverance produced through the testing of our faith—ABSOLUTELY YES. Stick with Jesus. We will be tested, but every single time He will guide us through the process, use our struggles to transform our hearts, and we will emerge stronger than we ever thought possible.

1. Metal testing. In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 14, 2019 from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_testing