Problems Promote Maturity

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11

The concept of gaining strength through difficulties is under assault today by those preaching success and prosperity. Some have claimed that, if we’re Christians, God wants everything to be right and easy for us.

It certainly sounds spiritual to claim that those close to God ought never to experience failure or illness, but that has never been the message of the church. Rather than producing soldiers, that sort of thinking produces pampered children. There is no Bible verse, nor even an implied principle, that suggests our walk on earth should be free from trouble.

Problems are God’s gifts to us to make us strong. And those who would keep us out of problems sometimes seek to short-circuit the plan of God. Problems are God’s way of molding us into maturity, putting iron into our souls so that we can face the challenges ahead. Problems promote maturity.