A human soul is like a teabag; you never know how strong [or weak] it is until it is put in boiling water. Adversity has a tendency of exposing our true self. Just as it is difficult to appreciate a mango’s taste unless you have taken a bite, we often difficult to appreciate who we really are until we undergo some kind of adversity .
At times we might think we are severely incapable of accomplishing a certain task but when put under pressure we are amazed by how adept we actually are. The opposite is equally true. Some of us seem to be sweet when everything is going well, but we display a different facet when we are in crisis.
Jesus said our natural self is characterised by how we behave in a spontaneous crisis. “You can identify [false prophets] by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. (Matthew 7:16-18)
Crisis does not necessarily form our underlying character but it rather reveals it. The disciples’ lack of faith was exposed by the storm they went through as they were sailing with Jesus to another side of the lake. The storm did not diminish the disciples’ faith; it did expose it the way it was. Their lack of faith was justified by how they reacted to the storm. How we react to storms says a lot about us.
That said, I’m glad to tell you that God does expose our weakness not for the sole purpose of embarrassing us but to form a stronger character in us. Manufactures do conduct a series of rigorous tests on their products for the purpose of exposing possible weaknesses and fix them before being released into the market. That is precisely what God does to us. He tests us to see whether we are ready for what He has in store for us. When a fault is found in us God fixes it to perfect us. When he puts you in a test He never lets you off the hook until the desired character has been formed in us. In other words, God tries to fix and tests to qualify.
Are you going through some testing times? Cheer up, mate, you are ready for a greater purpose. My prayer is for you to find strength to triumphantly endure your experience.
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