Nothing is more universal than trouble. In its many forms it comes to all men alike. Our only trouble-free days are those in the past. The question then is not “Will I have trouble in life?” or “Why do trials come?” but “How will I face them?” It is a question of attitude. The person who has not learned to deal successfully with trouble has not learned to live successfully.
Jesus Christ teaches us that every problem can work for good in our lives. How is that?
Trouble can develop in us strength of character. We need to have a strength of character that enables us to stand up to life without going to pieces or to the tranquilizer bottle. Such character is developed through facing difficulties. Think of trouble as a type of spiritual isometrics (muscle-building exercise) that can develop character. Christ does not make life easier, but he does make people stronger. He does not change our circumstances, but he does change us.
Trouble can lead us to depend on God. The most common question asked in times of trouble is “Why?” We cannot understand why this is happening to us. In our quest for understanding we are often driven to God in prayer. Let us rejoice in anything that drives us to him.
Trouble can also teach us the true values of life. How life gets out of perspective! We easily tend to put too much emphasis on things. Then trouble comes and we realize how valueless cars, clothes, and houses are. Trouble can knock a lot of nonsense out of us.
Viktor Frankl, a Swiss psychiatrist who spent several years in a German concentration camp during World War II, said, “In the concentration camp, every circumstance conspires to make the prisoner lose his hold. All the familiar goals in life are snatched away. What alone remains is the last of human freedoms—the ability to choose one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances.”
This freedom belongs to us in the face of all trials and trouble. Follow Christ and let him help you face difficulty with the right attitude.