When we think about trials, our minds automatically associate with circumstances that haven’t gone our way. Dealing with disappointment. Mourning tragedy. Stewarding frustration. Many trials cause angst, hurt and confusion.
But there are other kinds of trials as well, and we do not give them the same attention. Success is a trial. Wealth is a trial. Getting exactly what you want is as much of a trial as being disappointed. James 1 covers examples of all kinds of trials, from want to plenty.
A trial is not certain circumstances; it is all circumstances. Every kind.
How will you steward your wealth? How will you manage and share your success? Will you bless others and worship God with your resources, or will you hoard them for your own sense of power and control?
Just because a thing makes us feel good does not mean it is not a trial. Everything we face is an opportunity. We can squander it or succeed in it. The valleys, plains and mountains are all terrains of life—settings that allow us to make our choices.
How are you stewarding your mountaintop experiences? We all have to decide how we are going to cope with tragedy, sorrow and failure. We have to decide how to view the boring and the mundane. And we have to decide what to do with our success—how to perceive it and how to use it. Each trial is a unique opportunity, and the results have the potential to affect eternity. {eoa}
The Yellow Balloons Team is committed to influencing individuals and organizations toward choosing a true perspective. Throughout all the diverse circumstances of life, we have the power to make choices and live life above our circumstances. Yellow Balloons provides free resources such as books, podcasts and devotionals which can be found at yellowballoons.net.
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