Circumstances

Circumstances

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

PHIL’S PARENTS DIVORCED just as he was getting ready to go to college. In the aftermath, he quickly realized there was no money available to pay for school. Disappointed, he realized that he would have to figure it out on his own.

Eventually, an uncle who worked at a bank helped him acquire a loan to pay the cost of his tuition. The loan involved a work-study program, so he was required to work a certain number of hours each week. At first, Phil was dismayed. Though he was a hard worker, his course load was challenging, and he hadn’t planned on working quite as many hours as the work-study program required. But as the years passed and he approached graduation, he realized something he’d viewed as an obstacle—paying his own way through college—ended up being a blessing. The connections he made with others during his work-study years ended up forming lasting relationships that helped him get a job after graduation and continued through the course of his career.

Oftentimes, it’s our most challenging circumstances—a diagnosis, a job loss, a troubled relationship—that teach us far more than our easy, unremarkable days. How we choose to approach difficult circumstances isn’t simply a measure of how much or how little hardship we can withstand; it is a measure of the confident hope we have in Jesus based on what he has already overcome. When we look back and recognize God’s handiwork in our lives or in the lives of those around us, choosing gratitude in every current circumstance is a recognition that our current trials are temporary, but our hope in Jesus is eternal. Our ability to endure the hardships life throws at us are oftentimes the catalyst for our conviction that God’s love is real and will carry us through every circumstance we face, regardless of the outcome. That certainty is what gives us the courage to face our ever-changing circumstances with courage and hope.

Lord, help us to see the good in every circumstance, even those that feel overwhelming or insurmountable. Give us gratitude for every circumstance we face today. Amen.

-Kristin

One Good Step: What situation have you faced that felt like an obstacle in the moment but ended up teaching you something? How can recalling that experience influence your current circumstances?