Speed Bump!

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Here in Brazil we have something called “lombadas”.  They are big, fat, sometimes high, speed bumps.  They are some of the most annoying things to deal with while driving to and from the city.  Sometimes my husband will be in such deep thought, he will not see one and I have to speak up and say, “Speed Bump”.  I have learned to not yell “SPEED BUMP!!!” because it gets me a tongue lashing.  I just simply say, “speed bump”. 

My children told me a story one time of when Mark hit one of these “lombadas” at full speed one night heading home from their music classes.  In their words, “Mommy, the car flew!”  Mark had sworn them to secrecy and I didn’t find out until much later. We joke about it now because it isn’t the only time it has happened.

In the Christian life we can be moseying on along doing our thing when we can come up on a speed bump.  It may be a sick loved one, an unexpected bill, or a natural disaster.  It is an event that literally makes us slow down.  A trial, if you will.  I like what John Phillips has to say about these sudden testings:

“They are not mindless, senseless woes unleashed upon us by a cold and impersonal fate.  They are permitted by a wise and loving heavenly Father, who is too caring to be unkind and too wise to make any mistakes.”

James tells us to count them all joy.  I have to say, it is a mark of spiritual maturity when you can look at a trial and immediately claim this verse and live by it.  As a missionary with two children in college at the same time we are building a house and running a full time ministry, it can be difficult to count any of life’s sudden speed bumps as joy!

But that is exactly what I am supposed to do.

Okay, so let’s look at this practically.  When we get a bad test result from the doctor, are we supposed to throw a "I've got cancer" party? NO! When we don’t have enough money to pay the bills AND buy groceries does that mean we should high five each other and blow whistles?  NO!  But it does mean we are to acknowledge that GOD Himself has allowed us a time to prove our faith and mature our patience.  It isn’t fate or destiny or karma.  If you are saved, YOUR Father in Heaven has deemed this time to grow you in His perfect will.  And for that reason, we should count it joy.

By the time you read this, a month will have passed and the speed bump I just hit will be in my rear-view mirror.  I hope I can testify to you of what God has done in my life.   I do know that today I am going to count my testing as joy.  God is allowing it and I have already spent more time in prayer than I normally would have.  And you and I both know how prayer changes things, first and foremost US! 

Are you experiencing a “speed bump”?  Did you hit it at a high rate of speed and did it send you flying into confusion?  Or maybe you saw it coming and you slowed down first, but it is taking you a while to get over it?  Either way, join me in thanking God for allowing it in our lives.  If He has purposed it to work for good then let’s look for that good!  Let’s get to know Him and the fellowship of HIS sufferings!  He is a good God and He definitely has a purpose. 

Until next time, Lord willing (and over the speed bumps)

Sheri