I’ve always been a roller coaster kind of girl. I love the feeling of the wind on my face. The suspense of the incline. The view from the top. And the rush of the plunge… What I don’t love so much are the ups and downs that life has to offer.
Sure we all enjoy a good view from the top. It’s the plunge to the bottom that takes getting used to. The days of uncertainty. The ones in which we’re tested and tried. Those are the ones I need to learn and to grow from.
James writes, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” (James 1:2, NIV)
The New translation says, “consider it an opportunity for great joy.”
Here’s an interesting thing. The word “opportunity” is derived from the Latin phrase “ob portum” which means toward the the port. Or in the direction of the harbor.
In other words, these trials, like wind in our sails direct us to our destination. Without them we’d be stagnant, but through them and by them we grow in Christ-likeness.
Consider it pure joy, my friends, that we’re given an opportunity to change, and a chance to grow.
Your destination doesn’t depend on the wind. It depends on you, and the way you choose to set your sail.
Subscribe so you don’t miss a post:
Tilling the Soil
Look for opportunities to grow from your trials. Maybe you’ll exercise patience, maybe you’ll dig deep to find grace, or maybe you’ll find yourself growing in faith.
Planting Hope
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds. (James 1:2, NIV)
Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.
She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.
It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.
Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.
Connect with Darlene:
Facebook: @timewarpwife
Instagram: @timewarpwife
Pinterest: @timewarpwife
Twitter: @timewarpwife
You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife