Scottish author George MacDonald told this story of a woman who had experienced a great tragedy in her life: “The heartache was so crushing and her sorrow so bitter that the one in distress exclaimed, ‘I wish I’d never been made.’ With spiritual discernment, her friend answered, ‘My dear, you are not fully made yet; you’re only being made, and this is the Maker’s process!’”
MacDonald wisely concluded, “We can let God take our troubles and make out of them a garment of Christian fortitude which will not only warm our souls but also serve to inspire others.”
This is true for all of our trials—even when we are being corrected by God for our sin. The author of Hebrews wrote, “No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11).
Does it seem as though everything in life is going against you? As you face disillusionment, take heart! If you’re a child of God, all things are working together for good, and He is conforming you “to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:28-29). God’s lessons through trials can be the making of you!
— Richard De Haan
For all the heartaches and the tears,
For gloomy days and fruitless years
I do give thanks, for now I know
These were the things that helped me grow. —Anon.
God may have to break us in order to make us.