When Life Grounds Us

I was grounded for 2 days this week with vertigo. I couldn’t drive. My first day home was a total wash out. It was like being acutely drugged, I never fully woke up for 24 hours.

The second day home, I felt well enough to complain…first to God, then to my husband.  I asked the doctor to give me drugs that would allow me to have my life back again. She laughed and prescribed Meclizine to clear up the dizziness.

As the fog cleared, I began to question God’s timing and purpose for such debilitating symptoms.

I wondered if He’d consider postponing this trial until February when the snow is flying and it’s too cold to be outside gardening and hosting cookouts.

In need of answers, I grabbed my Bible and turned to what everyone else turns to: James 1.

Verse 2 must be the most outrageous statement in the entire New Testament! ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.’

I could think of other adjectives besides ‘pure joy’, but okay I recall doing a Bible study on Joy and remembered that Joy is a Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and that the meaning of Joy is not synonymous with happiness. God’s word for Joy means a supernatural delight in the person of God….in the purpose of God… and only happens in the people of God.  Joy does not come naturally. God means that we are to be Joyful at having a chance to shine the light of Christ during our trials.

Gosh I wish I hadn’t remembered that. Because what I really wanted to say was: But God, I didn’t see this coming. I’m unprepared. I don’t feel like shining Your light right now. I want this trial to be over and I need You to prevent it from getting worse. And can You do all of this before the evening ends?

God understands. He will provide the strength and humility to help us bear up under it. Jesus said that it is ‘By their fruit you will recognize them...’ (Matthew 7:16)   Every Christian’s virtue is defined by this.  If we can remain under it (the pressure), God will be able to give us every good thing He has planned for us.  By cutting the process short, we cut the benefit God is trying to affect and grow in us. 

What about your trials?  When a child rebels... When a spouse betrays... When a sickness threatens…When the money doesn’t pay the bills…How do you handle it?

Like most people, I hate tests. I was the type of student that studied just to get a good grade. That’s how I feel about this vertigo. Just give me the drugs to deal with it, I don’t have time to sleep away my days; just get me through it and back to my ole’ self. 

But as I dug deeper into God’s Word, something jumped out at me. God was asking me to consider His purpose in allowing this in my life.  ‘…testing of your faith develops perseverance.’ (v.3)  ‘…so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’ (v. 4)

Consider our trials. Weigh in on them. Measure them. Calculate them.  If I’m angry as I consider His timing in this, then I can’t come to the conclusion of what God’s purpose is for allowing it. If we’re filling up on food…filling up our time with activities…work, or whatever we tend to use to bail from underneath our trials, then we lose out on the benefit of God’s plan. We remain immature, not complete and lacking in much.

My friend, I have no idea what kind of trials you’ve seen. If your faith in God hasn’t changed or challenged you, it hasn’t saved you. Let that sink in.

Just like Joseph’s coat of many colors, we all face many kinds of trials that test our faith in God. The fruit of a genuine believer in Christ is revealed by how we endure His tests. Do you always display Christ’s love during difficult periods of life?

Here’s a good Faith Test:
1. Do you believe that God is in control?
2. Do you believe that God is good and has good intentions for you?
3. Will you wait on God by faith until the darkness becomes light?

Once I could drive again, I returned to work. It’s the supreme test to be patient and love people when your world is out of balance, right? Yet, with God’s leading, we can do it.   

In 1 Peter 4, God shows us how to live for Him while we are suffering.

1. We have to arm ourselves with the right mentality… we have to guard our behavior.
2. We cannot rely on past solutions to solve our current suffering.
3. We need to remind ourselves that this present suffering will have an ending!
4.  Christians are given gifts – this is a good time to use our God-given gift so God is lifted higher.   

Storms are not an option…but fear is.  In the weeks to come, I will see a specialist to learn more about my vertigo. But, more than medical test results, I want to pass the Faith Test and I want to increase God to others along the way. So I am trusting God and claiming His promises that I will see goodness during this trial.  ‘Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.’   (Psalm 27:13)

God saw this coming. I once heard someone say that everything that touches us must first go through the Father’s hands.  He’s trying to produce steadfastness in us. He’s trying to transform us into a mature Christian.

Let’s pray. Lord, when our faith is small and we are about to give up, show us how to trust You with everything; nothing is off limits; we want to be that person of staying power; teach us steadfastness; do this work in our life; give us wisdom; be glorified like never before; by Your grace we will remain under it; hold us to this place until Your work is done. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

Until next time~

Blessings, Nancy