Faith and Trial by Fire

“… so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:7

The heat wave that has been creeping across the US has now hit the Northwest Atlanta area where I live. As a lifelong resident of the south, I am used to the heat and actually prefer it to the cold. I’ve often joked, “I’ll take 100º any day over 40º or below.” But. Yesterday morning we discovered our <4-years-old downstairs AC unit was quickly flagging. Gulp. A few hours later, the equally newish, smaller upstairs unit also waved the white flag, unable to carry the load of cooling both levels of our two-story home.

At the first signs of trouble yesterday, my husband placed a call to our heat and AC service company. The earliest appointment we could get was this afternoon. We discussed moving to a hotel for the night but decided to wait and see what the prognosis was, thinking surely, we could stick it out for one night. We did, but it was tougher than I anticipated.

Both our kids (high school son, Big Kid, and middle school daughter, Little Bit) play sports and often play in extremely warm, humid weather. But when it comes to hanging out at home, suddenly the heat they can run around in is just too much. Soon the complaining began. I quickly became frustrated with Little Bit and her incessant need to exclaim how hot it was. I reminded her that stating repeatedly that it was hot would not cause the house to cool down, and in fact, she was probably making it harder on herself by focusing on how overheated she felt. And so it went for a few hours until Big Kid took them both to the neighborhood pool to cool off. (Whew!)

But it got me thinking about how often I can complain about something negative and how it really serves no purpose other than to keep me focused on my circumstances. This type of “stinking thinking” is especially detrimental when I have no control over the circumstances except for my reaction to or attitude toward them.

Now in the grand scheme of things, a nonfunctioning AC is not a big deal. Yes, it’s hot, and yes, it absolutely makes us all cranky. And yes, it will probably dip into some funds that we had been saving for other things at a time when we’ve had a few unexpected expenses pile up. Because, life! So my initial reaction was, “Really?! This too?!” But ironically, Little Bit’s complaining forced me to put the brakes on my own grumbling and try to help her look for blessings instead. Some “blessings” she begrudgingly acknowledged were:

• we live in a home where we have AC to begin with
• the tech would be out the next day instead of next week
• she had permission to just lounge around and watch Netflix while bingeing on watermelon
• our neighborhood has a pool where she was able to meet up with friends to hang out with and cool off.

A friend some years ago asked me how different things would look if instead of asking God, “Why?” I asked Him, “What?” As in, “What do You have to teach me through this challenge?” or “What can I learn from these circumstances?” Yesterday, for me, God reminded me of several friends and acquaintances who are walking through far heavier and devastating circumstances than going without air conditioning for a few days.

We know a family whose daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury in a horrific accident months ago. Their steadfast faith through it all has been nothing short of astounding. I have longtime friends battling cancer with strength and courage, praising the Lord every step of the fight. I have a friend who lost a son last year to a tragic accident. On social media, she shares her heartache, grief, faith, and hope in a way that challenges and encourages others. These are just a few examples. When I think of these lovely people carrying such heavy burdens, my heart and prayers turn toward them, and my “suffering” becomes an opportunity to focus on others. And, it gives me teachable moments to help our kids learn to do the same.

So, while I may literally feel like I’m being tested by fire, hopefully what’s really happening is that my faith is being strengthened and this testing will result in praise and glory and honor.

How do you respond to trials – big and small – in your life? What have you learned in the past when your faith has been tested? What are some go-to verses that help you walk well through life’s challenges?