No Pain No Gain!

     An old legend speaks about how birds got their wings.  It says that birds were first made without wings.  Then God made wings, put them in front of the wingless birds, and said to them, “Come, take up these burdens and bear them.”  The birds hesitated at first but soon obeyed and picked up the wings in their beaks.  Because the wings were heavy, the birds laid them on their shoulders.  Then to their amazement the wings started to grow and soon attached themselves to their bodies.  The birds quickly discovered how to use these new appendages and were soon soaring through the air.  What had once been a heavy burden now became an instrument that enabled the birds to soar and go where they could never go before. 
     Yes, this story is fiction, but like the wingless birds, the duties and tasks that seem like a big burden and a heavy trial to us often become the very means that God uses to lift us up to build character in us.  God’s plan is for our tests to become our helpers.  To refuse to bend our shoulders to receive a load is to decline a new opportunity for growth and increase.
     Have you ever stopped to examine weeds?  They serve as a reminder of judgment and a result of the curse on the ground after the fall of Adam and Eve.  But if you look closely, you can see signs of mercy in that judgment.  Some weeds have gorgeous flowers, tiny blue bells, ruffled purple blooms, and even magnificent displays of gold.  And in the same way, our troubles and trials, if we look closely, we can see beautiful signs of God’s mercy and grace.  There is always something good coming out of our trials if we are looking for it. 
     A man once asked a store clerk, “What makes this set of china so much more expensive than that one over there?  They are almost identical.”  The clerk replied, “The more expensive set of china has had more done to it.  You see, it had to be put through the kiln twice because the flowers are on a yellow background.  On the less expensive set, they are on a plain white background.  The expensive set had to be put through the fire once for the yellow background, and then a second time for the design on it.” 
     And so it is in the life of the believer who desires God’s best.  There are many times that we must go through the kiln with all of its fire and heat until we fully display God’s intended design in our life.  If each believer will look for the best in his own life he will accept the tests because he knows that he will come forth as pure gold.  He knows that he is not going to burn up but is going to power up. 
     An unknown poet wrote, “A brook would lose its song if God removed the rocks.”  And we would lose our quality of life if all obstacles, troubles, and woes were not present to test our mettle.  The greater the test a product receives, the greater its value if it will hold up under the test.  God intends for you to be the best so don’t shrink back when you are tested.  For more info you can visit us at www.JoyChristianMinistries.com

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