“…Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” Job 2:10 (NKJV)
When I was growing up, my mom had many rules regarding meal time but here were the top three:
You must sit at the table with the whole family.
You must take a serving from every prepared dish.
You must eat what is on your plate.
When I was eight years old, I remember a particularly difficult supper. Our meal was green beans, mashed potatoes, and liver. The rest of the family had finished their meal. They were all in the next room watching the one television we owned.
Since I still had food on my plate, I could not join them. I struggled to take a bite. When I tasted the liver, I forced myself to swallow and my body shivered in disgust as it slowly made its way down my throat.
I remember whining to my mother how I couldn’t possibly finish it because I was too full. To which she flatly replied, “there isn’t much there, eat what’s on your plate.”
After five minutes of pushing the tasteless gray piece of meat around my plate, I knew I had to up my game.
A few crocodile tears slowly falling on each cheek should spark my mother’s sympathy. “I can’t finish it, I think it’s making me sick.”
“I’ll give you a Tums when you finish,” she replied nonchalantly without even looking at me.
A few more creative excuses and thirty minutes later, my mother was even more determined to win this battle. Defeated, I finally gave in and ate every bite of the cold liver.
Was my mom’s heart made of stone? It felt as if she didn’t care about me at all. Actually, it was quite the opposite.
She was teaching me the following important lessons because she loved me:
We don’t always get what we want in life.
Be grateful for what you have and don’t waste it.
You do things that are difficult because it’s good for you.
The last six months have been the most difficult of my life due to circumstances beyond my control. Just when I think I might be able to relax and breathe, a new trial presents itself. They have quickly piled on top of each other and press in on my heart.
One morning I thought “I can’t take one more thing! I’m too tired. This isn’t fair.” Immediately, I thought of my little eight-year-old-self coming up with excuses trying to get out of eating the liver.
Then I heard those words, “Eat what’s on your plate.”
The book of Job describes how he faced great loss and pain in his life. Job 2:10 says if we accept the good God brings, we also need to accept the bad.
You may be wondering if God cares about you because He’s allowed certain trials in your life, remember He might be teaching you the following life lessons:
Enduring trials brings us closer to God.
Going through hard times develops maturity.
Facing times of weakness helps us rely on God’s strength.
Prayer: Dear God, help me to accept what you’ve put on my plate today and depend on You for everything.
Karen Weber
This is a common theme right now – learning to endure under adversity. It is most certainly driving me into even more reliance on Father God, to instruct, to strengthen and to comfort. Thank you for this reminder.