My thoughts are on our brothers and sisters in Haiti. There have been many times over the past week that I have cried and mourned for them. I was impressed by reports on how Haitians are uniting in faith and giving praises to God during this tragedy.
Watching the news reports, I often imagine myself in their shoes. I imagine myself as the mother searching for her children under the rubble. I imagine myself as the 7-year-old girl, now an orphan. I find myself thinking it would be hard for me.
Reading about their devotion and faith in God, I wonder if I would be so faithful under the same circumstances. I hope I would be. It reminds me that it is times like this where you discover who you really are. It can shed light on your strengths and weaknesses.
I've never experienced anything as tragic as what happened in Haiti. My problems pale in comparison, but they were a struggle for me nonetheless. Each time I learned more about myself as a person, the good and bad.
Often I seek comfort in the scriptures. One of my favorite scriptures to turn to during adversity comes from Matthew 11:28-29, \"Come unto me
, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. \"
We are taught that we go through adversity in our lives to test and strengthen us. There are times that our problems are a direct result of poor choices on our part. But sometimes stuff happens for no apparent reason at all. In either case, do we live the principles we say we believe in? Or do we abandon them?
Adversity can show us if we are planted on shallow ground in our faith. If we are on shallow ground, we will more likely to abandon our faith and become bitter towards God. However, if we are planted on solid ground, we will trust God to help us overcome our circumstances.