Learning From Your Valley Experiences

 

      More than 100 years ago, a poor, lonely boy from Germany came to America. His first job was for $4.00 a week, as a helper in a tiny store in Ohio. Since the owner allowed him to sleep at night in a big packing case in the store with­out paying any rent, he was able to save $1.00 a week. His next job at a bank paid him $8.00 dollars a week. Here he slept in a loft over the bank office and continued to save every penny. One day he saw some musical instruments for sale that re­minded him how he and his friend back in Germany used to make such instruments. He sent his life’s savings of $700 to his friends in Germany and had them ship a supply of their instruments. The first shipment sold very quickly. He sent for more and was on his way to becoming a successful business­man.

 

      The business this boy started eventu­ally manufactured such musical instruments as pianos, organs, music boxes, and player pianos. It became a multimillion-dollar busi­ness. The boy’s name? Rudolph Wurlitzer. Chances are had this boy not started out lonely and penniless, he would not have achieved what he did. His difficult circum­stances generated the motivation that made him successful. Life is like that. Difficult times, economic hardships, business set­backs, sicknesses, sorrows, heartbreaks and crises come to all of us at some time in our lives. When they do, we often feel like we’ve struck out and failed. However, the only real failure in life is not to get up one more time after we’ve been knocked down again.

 

      The question is: How can we turn cri­ses and suffering into opportunities?  First, we need to realize that we have a choice. Our difficulties can make us bitter or better. They can become stumbling blocks or stepping stones; make us resentful or we can see in them creative opportunities. The choice, however, is ours. In ancient times, people used an instru­ment called a tribulum to beat grain in order to separate the chaff from the wheat. This word is the basis for our English word “tribulation.” In the development of human character, it is what we do with tribulation that proves what kind of grain we are.  The Apostle Paul tells us, “We glory in tribulations…knowing that tribulation works patience and patience, experience and experience, hope….” Romans 5:3, 4.

 

      Secondly, we need to accept and mas­ter our problems, not run from them. Most of us remember the story of Daniel being thrown into the lions’ den be­cause of his religious convictions. Imagine what might have happened had Daniel de­nied his problem, or if he had rebelled, justifiably so we might think, against being thrown to the lions and then had struggled desperately to get out. The lions probably would have torn him to shreds in short order. Daniel never tried to defend himself against the authorities or the lions. As terrifying as it was, he accepted his situation. I can imagine him thinking, “I’m in this predicament. I can’t escape. How can I make the best of it?” Un­doubtedly, it was the acceptance of his situa­tion and his strong faith in God that saved him.  Note well, Daniel’s faith did not save him from the lion’s den. It saved him in it! This is the kind of faith that leads to growth and maturity. It is human nature to want to escape from suffer­ing, but doing that won’t help us grow and sometimes we learn too late that what we escaped to is worse than what we escaped from! Unfortunately, we rarely change or grow unless we are hurting sufficiently. This is why James wrote, “Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops persever­ance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” James 1:2-4.

 

      Third, we need to face the cause of our problems. If there is one thing in life that I have learned, it is this: the problem is never really the problem! What we blame our prob­lem on is rarely the true cause. Often what we blame is the symptom. For instance, my criticism of someone else might be caused more by my jealousy than by what that person did. My hurt feelings or anger at another person may be a reflection of my insecurity or unre­solved hostility. I may unconsciously be looking for a peg to hang my anger on ~ an excuse to blame somebody else for my unresolved problem.

 

      Only as we become truly honest with ourselves and face the real causes of our difficulties can we begin to resolve them. Jesus Christ expressed a universal principle when he said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” John 8:32.

 

      Fourth,   to turn our difficulties into oppor­tunities, we need to ask the question, “What might God be wanting me to learn through these adverse circumstances?’ It was when he was in prison John Bunyan wrote his liter­ary masterpiece, Pilgrim‘s Progress, and through rising above her severe handicaps Helen Keller became a great inspiration to millions. So it is with each of us. No matter what happens to us, Our Loving Fa­ther wants to use our suffering to strengthen us, to mature us, and to make us more like our Lord. If you are going through a time of sickness, sorrow, depression, financial setback, a broken relationship, or feel you have failed in some way, can you ac­cept that God wants to use your suffering to help you grow and become closer to Him? You can ask Him to help you see how you might be contributing to your situation, and for the courage to do your part in resolving it, so that you can grow.  “Cast all your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you” 1 Peter 5:7 for, “He will never let the righteous fall.”  Psalm 55:22                                                 

                                                                                                      R. Boswell

 

JOSEPH’S VALLEY EXPERIENCES

 

      Many things happened to Joseph where the principle of Rom. 8:28 could apply. He undoubtedly wondered what was happening, for life, as he had known it came to an abrupt end. One moment Joseph was his father’s favored son, and the next he finds himself looking up from the bottom of a pit into the fiery eyes of his brothers hatred; they despised their younger brother so much that some of them even wanted him dead. Instead, they sold him into slavery to a passing Ishmaelite caravan for the price of a slave ~ twenty pieces of silver.

 

      From there, Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar, a captain in Pharaoh’s elite guard. In all this, and in every future adverse experience, there is no doubt that Joseph had an attitude of acceptance and trust in his God. He had no idea what the future held out for him, but he did his best in whatever situation he found himself. Because of this, Joseph found favor with Potiphar, who trusted him fully by putting him in charge of all his affairs.

 

      Yet once again, Joseph’s world fell in on him when Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of attempting to rape her. Now, he found himself thrown into prison along with other prisoners of Pharaoh, but before long, Joseph found favor with the keeper of the prison, and was appointed overseer over all the other prisoners. Joseph who had the gift of interpreting dreams always gave God the credit: “Do not interpretations belong to God.” Pharaoh had a dream that none of his magicians or wise-men could interpret. Joseph interprets his dream and is made prime minister over all Egypt. His attitude was positive in all his valley experiences, because he knew by faith, that whatever happened to him, “God meant it for good.”                       E. Weeks