This and That.....Year

     That year, 2015.  "My brothers and sisters, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.  Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."  James 1:2-4
     Consider myself fortunate to have trials.  Really?  I could make a list of the trials we've experienced this year and you might feel sorry for me.  I must admit there have been times I've felt sorry for myself.  But is that what God intended?  Most definitely not.
     "We know that in all things God works for good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28.  All things.  That includes trials.
     Trials:  Unexpected job change.  Just when you think you're on top of things, it happens.  Suddenly the job you thought you would be doing changes and all you had worked hard to learn is next to useless.  Feelings of giving up, running away or just crumpling into a blubbering heap of goo become almost overwhelming.
     A diagnosis out of the blue.  Six months to live that turned into less than 2.  Not enough time.  Just not enough time.  Long, painful, lonely hours when it just doesn't seem like that aching hole in my heart will ever go away.
     But didn't He say He works ALL things together for our good?  Sure doesn't feel like it sometimes.  And didn't He say to consider myself fortunate in ALL kinds of trials?  Seriously?  Haven't I been through enough already?
     This year, 2016.  Time to use what I was supposed to learn in 2015.  Attitude.  "Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts."  Proverbs 4:23.  Yes there were some difficulties last year.  And yes my heart is still hurting.  But God truly does cause all things to work together for good for those of us who belong to Him.
     Pride.  "Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall."  Proverbs 16:18.  Was it fun having an unexpected job change?  Not at all.  In fact it was down right miserable.  But then I realized something.  Took me a long time.  But the Lord finally got it through my thick skull.  He was using that situation to get rid of the pride I had clung to for so long.  Thank you Lord.  I'm so sorry it took me so long.
     Have I learned all the lessons God has planned for me?  "Of course, my brothers and sisters, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to foreget what is behind me [trials, pain] and do my best to reach what is ahead.  So I run straight towards the goal in order to win the price, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above."  Philippians 3:13, 14.  Now that's our real goal isn't it?
     I think I probably have some more to learn before that time comes.  And my first lesson for 2016, I believe, is simply to be the woman described in Proverbs 31:26.  "She speaks with a gentle wisdom."  I'm working on it.......