A thought for the week, based on this past Sunday's message from the "I Will" series ... (listen to the message from June 5, 2005 here.)

The Point: I can react to trouble with joy only when I value my character more than my comfort.

Life is difficult. Don't get me wrong -- life is also beautiful and joyful and pleasurable. But frequently, life is difficult. Life is hard.

And many people have believed that if they embrace life with God, life will get EASIER. They will be put on a road of never-ending betterment. All of their "needs" will be met. And life will never hit the fan -- at least not in a way that gets unevenly distributed on them. They've been told that if they ever lose their job, it must be because God actually has a better one in mind for them. If they experience a loss, it's because God has something better in mind. Always better.

But very often, for those who embrace life with God , life actually gets HARDER. And we find ourselves disappointed with God. What gives, God? What's up? This is not what I signed up for. What are you doing this to me? (You'll want to catch this Sunday's message, by the way, as the "I Will" series continues.)

And so this becomes a very important truth -- and maybe a truth you haven't
heard often enough:

God has not called you out of hardship into life of comfort and safety and never-ending "betterment." God has called you out of meaninglessness into a life of significance & wholeness. As Erwin McManus (in his book, The Barbarian Way) puts it, "God would never choose for us safety at the cost of significance. God created you so that the days of your life would count, not so that you could count the days of your life."

How can you react to the trouble in your life right now with joy, relishing the growth of your character (even more than you relish your comfort)? Let me give you 2 questions to ask. Learn to ask these over and over again. Ask them to yourself in quiet moments of reflection. Ask them to God in prayer. Ask them to trusted friends who will tell you the truth. Here they are:

1) What do I need to learn? What is the issue(s) of character in my life that can (and must) be challenged, tested, stretched, because of this painful experience? Are there elements of my personality that brought this trouble into my life? In what ways might I possibly be responsible? Even if not, what do I need to learn? How do I need to grow?

2) Who do I need to impact? Who is in my life -- perhaps because of the hardship I'm experiencing -- that I can love or serve or impact in someway? Is there someone who needs to be listened to or loved or coached or invited along the path toward God? What opportunities is God giving me, even right now, for significance?

We ended this past Sunday with a prayer you can pray this week -- a prayer for wisdom (in the face of trouble). Here it is. Print it out, paste it nearby, pray it often this week:

A prayer for wisdom:

"God, my Father, I humbly ask for your guidance and wisdom as I face this hardship and trouble. What do you want me to learn? Who do you want me to become? What opportunities are you giving me right now to live with significance and wholeness? I invite you to teach me and to stretch me. I desire to have your perspective on my character and my comfort. And if you will show me the next step I should take, I will take it, regardless of the cost."

Your fellow quester,