Consider this: Remember the lyrics, “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden”? God never promised us a life void of pain, struggles, disappointments, and difficulties either. What He did promise is that He will always be with us and always provide a way of escape from temptation. While going through trials, as an individual or as a couple, surrender and obedience to God’s Word reveals God’s grace and provides the assurance that Christ stays with us in our pain. He can give us courage to persevere. His peace becomes a reality as we experience His presence in the midst of the most difficult circumstances. Indeed, He is central to our everyday struggles. As G.K. Chesterton observed, “The problem with Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting, but that it has been found difficult and left untried.”

Without struggles and difficulties, we would never know the joy of growing in God’s grace and goodness. Trials and tribulations make the believer strong. The human spirit unchallenged becomes weak and lazy. We grow restless without challenge. It is in the stresses and challenges of life that we learn about and receive the power of God that sustains us. Like James suggests in the above passage, rather than complain about your trials, consider the trials pure joy!

Discuss: In what situations do you and your spouse need to develop perseverance right now?

Perseverance can do anything which genius can do, and very many things which it cannot.
HENRY WARD BEECHER (1813–1887)

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