As
an author and film producer, Bill Myers’s work has won over 70 national and
international awards including the C.S. Lewis Honor Award. His books and videos,
which include Eli and McGee and Me, have sold 8 million
copies. His most recent book, The Jesus Experience - Journey Deeper into the
Heart of God, explores how he went from a burned-out evangelical to
someone head-over-heels in love with his Creator. www.billmyers.com
GOD’S
WORKOUT PROGRAM
“Consider
it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you
know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must
finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James
1:2-4
When I was in high school, I was
captain of my tennis team. (No big accomplishment; my school was so small that
if you owned a racket and a pair of tennis shoes, you’d make varsity). My
grandma lived one block away from the school and she made great chocolate chip
cookies. So on the days when the coach said, “Okay Myers, take the team on a
run around the town,” I was only too happy to oblige.
We’d start off running, disappear
around the block, and drop by Grandma’s, where we sat around drinking milk and
eating cookies. Then, at the appropriate time, we said our goodbyes, splashed
water on our faces, and staggered back to the school, pretending we were
exhausted. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, everyone was happy. The
coach got to go get some coffee, and we got to lounge around drinking milk and
eating cookies. A definite win/win.
Well, not quite.
For some reason, our team lost every
match that year. More than lost, we were slaughtered. We just didn’t seem to
have the stamina of the other teams.
Scripture is clear that God is not the
author of difficulties, but it is equally clear that He is sovereign and will
use difficulties for our good -- to strengthen us. “To make us mature and
complete, not lacking anything.”
Thank you for this reminder of how God does use difficulty to ultimately bless us. I certainly wouldn't have chosen to have a disabled grandchild, but I can't even begin to tell you the many ways this child has changed and yes, blessed not only our lives, but sometimes complete strangers. God really IS good all the time.
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