Happiness Tool #3: Challenges

I once read the story of a woman, who, at age 40 was always saying how wonderful and trouble-free her life had been. Problems and trials had seemed to pass her by. She came from a wealthy family and was born with natural beauty. When her friends talked about financial struggles, or the pain of being insecure teenage ugly-ducklings, she couldn't have real compassion for them since she herself had always been beautiful and self-assured.  She had never dealt with the problems of low self-esteem so many teenagers do.

Then suddenly her life changed and problems seemed to pile upon her from every direction---sickness, problems with her marriage and children, financial trials, etc. Since she had never been "gifted" with other problems to solve one at a time throughout her life to strengthen and ground her, she found herself struggling hopelessly in her plight.

Pondering a situation like this has made me realize what a blessing our education in learning to deal with trials and hardships truly can be!  William Penn said, "No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall no glory; no cross, no crown."

"When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what the storm is all about".---Haruki Murakami

I believe that God is much more interested in our personal growth than in our non-stop pleasure. It is our personal growth that enables us to experience true joy. To prosper without struggle is to never comprehend the value of the eventual blessing and deliverance from the trial.  Struggle also keeps us going to our knees, which brings us closer to God. That is ALWAYS a blessing!

Challenges are great awakeners. It may be easy to believe that a challenge-free life is a happy life. However, life with its challenges stimulates our growth and development. Looking closely back over your life, you can always see that your growth was accelerated when you faced some form of suffering or pain that brought you to your knees.

In his classic book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis said, "Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps,you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different from the one you thought of---throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage, but He is building a palace He intends to come and live in Himself."

We are being being built into palaces! What a beautiful image to keep in mind when the the trials of life come upon us. "Flowers shed most of their perfume when they are crushed. Men and women have to suffer just so much in order to bring out the best that is in them." (Orson F. Whitney, IE, November 1918, pp. 5-7.)

My favorite poem exemplifying this principle is  written by my wonderful mother. It is appropriately titled, "A Measure of Love"...

A MEASURE OF LOVE

By Martha Huggins Bullock

Why does God send us the sunshine

And then hide it with clouds of gray?

Why does He send us the darkness

At the close of a beautiful day?

Why does He bless us with laughter

And then send us a share of sorrow?

Why does He give us confidence

To be dashed on the next tomorrow?

Why does He make our hearts happy

And then let them be broken in two?

Why does He give us someone to love

Then conceal His gift from our view?

When we're happy, it's easy to praise God

For all of the joys we have known.

But how quickly our faith seems to falter

When we think that He's left us alone.

Yet ever and always He's with us,

Watching over with His tender care.

Our hardships are merely stepping stones--

Each one is a Heavenly stair.

God gives us many a challenge.

Each one is a measure of love,

To give us the strength and experience

To become like our Father above.

So, when the trials of life befall us,

And we're sure that we'll never get through,

Just remember each problem that God sends your way,

Is a measure of His love for you.

(Written to be read at the funeral of her infant daughter, my sister, Caprice Angelique Bullock, who died on February 13, 1982.)

We will all be faced with trials and challenges in life. Will they make you bitter? Or BETTER? The choice is yours.