Heartache or Happiness

Trials and Pain

The devil, things and people being what they are, it is necessary for God to use the hammer, the file and the furnace in His holy work of preparing a saint for true sainthood. It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.

The Root of the Righteous, 157.
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Trials and Pain: Heartache or Happiness

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. –James 1:2-4

From the trials and triumphs of Paul, we gather, too, that happiness is really not indispensable to a Christian. There are many ills worse than heartaches. It is scarcely too much to say that prolonged happiness may actually weaken us, especially if we insist upon being happy as the Jews insisted upon flesh in the wilderness. In so doing, we may try to avoid those spiritual responsibilities which would in the nature of them bring a certain measure of heaviness and affliction to the soul.

The best thing is neither to seek nor seek to avoid troubles but to follow Christ and take the bitter with the sweet as it may come. Whether we are happy or unhappy at any given time is not important. That we be in the will of God is all that matters. We may safely leave with Him the incident of heartache or happiness. He will know how much we need of either or both. We Travel an Appointed Way, p. 80

“Lord, may I indeed be ‘in the will of God’ today. I’ll ‘leave with [You] the incident of heartache or happiness.’ I can trust You to decide wisely. Amen.”

On this day...

• Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity - 2011
• Be afraid of standing still - 2011
• Striking Examples of Faith - 2011
• Ephesians 1 - 2011
• Galatians 6 - 2011
• Give me an ox's strength - 2011
• Learning patience, it's a virtue - 2011
• We Three Kings of Orient Aren’t - 2011
• Something left to be desired this side of Heaven - 2011
• A mystery exceeding all human understanding - 2011
• Joy to the World! - 2011
• God Incarnate - 2011
• Worldly wealth - 2011
• But their fruit you will know them - 2011
• He is my Savior & Lord - 2011