Walk into any gym during peak hours, and you will probably hear a chorus of grunts, heavy breathing and any other bodily noise that indicates that extreme effort is being expended. These are not the types of noises that you expect to hear at, say, a birthday party or a golf course (well, maybe, if you are a duffer like me).
No, head over to your local gym, and you are going to encounter noises that accompany pain. People at these establishments are inflicting pain on themselves to achieve a very specific goal: they want to be fitter, stronger and healthier in general.
This brings us to the final cause for turmoil in our lives: sometimes our pain is designed to make us stronger.
Think back to the times that helped to define who you are today. I am willing to be that a majority of these pivotal events in our lives have some pain component. Pain has a way of squeezing us to the point of exposing all of our strengths and weaknesses, and if we approach pain with the right attitude, it can help to strengthen those areas where we are lacking in fortitude.
Let's be very clear: God does not cause pain. We're plenty good at inviting pain into our own lives without His help. However, God can use any situation, especially those that include a healthy dose of pain, to strengthen us and prepare us for the work He has planned for us.
Turmoil can be a form of preparation in our finances as well. For example, someone might lose a job, and therefore a significant amount of income. He or she be forced to examine what things are expendable in the budget. When the source of turmoil is gone (ie, another job is found), that person may decide that whatever they had to sacrifice was not really necessary in the first place, and moving ahead, the money they would have spent on it is now available for use in more noble, God-honoring activities.
Turmoil is never pleasant. Just ask Job. But, if we are faithful in seeking God's Will for our lives, there is never a turbulent situation that can't be used to help make us stronger.
Even in our finances.
Learning to Give in a Getting World, by Marc Farnell and Jesse Greever, is available as both a paperback and eBook at the following locations:
CreateSpace (paperback, $13.99)Amazon.com (paperback, $13.99; eBook, $8.99)
It
is also available to Amazon Prime members as a free eBook download as a
part of the Kindle Lending Library. Pastors and church administrators
can contact me directly at jesse@accidental-author.com to find out about discounts available for churches that wish to use this for teaching and small group curriculum.
You can also become a fan of the book at www.facebook.com/LearningToGive.
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JesseSGreever
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