Trouble Is Good

I know some of you may be wondering why I named today's blog, Trouble Is Good. Well, it is. I can't say nothing for nobody else but this year by far has been one of the most troublesome years of my entire life. 1990 was bad because my mom went through a great deal of medical issues. The same year, we moved to a hick town where people made fun of me all the time. Late 2000, the year my grandfather died and I almost lost my right mind. 2004, growing in God and seeing a lot of what Pastor C (Pastor Claudette) had to go through took care of the flock. Late 2005 and most of 2006, a period when my beautiful wife Dionn went through a bad depression after her birth mother died (and she never got to talk to her since she was a teenager). Enter 2012, a year I thought would be a utopia but for most of the year, I experienced mental, spiritual, physical, financial, career, family, and psychological torment. When one thing came, 5 other things came. Things got to the point when I just had to put the mask on so people wouldn't be too concerned about me. This is one of those years when I've felt the loneliest even when you've got a lot of people you can lean on. Entering this year, my faith was in things and people but now my faith has grown more in God. There's a verse in Psalms by David where it says some trust in horses, some in chariots, but some choose to trust in God. This is has been one of the hardest tests I've had to take and I believe in His eyes I'm passing. I may not be a straight A student but I'm not barely making it either. I've learned one valuable lesson, my friends, Trouble is good. A lot of us hate trouble because its inconvenient. We always want things and people to work for us 100%. But that's not how life is designed for us on earth, matter of fact, this was never God's intention. His original intent for us was to be in a close relationship with Him but we allowed our selfishness to keep that goal from being accomplished. So He allows trouble to enter into our lives that we may find our way towards Him. Some of us do and some of us don't. This is a fact of life. But one thing I can say is that I'm making the decision for follow after Him because He holds the key to my true purpose in life. Therefore, I know to attain this prize, I've got to go through trouble. When I worship with the Shiloh band, it's war time because unseen enemies don't want people to be free in Christ. When I'm going through financial troubles, not only should I cut back on wants, it's just time to restructure my spending habits and learn to put my money in better investments. When I'm going through regrets in the mind, I've got to pull those thoughts down before I go back into doing things I've got no business doing. Troubles come to test us, refine us, and strengthen us for the next phase in our lives. If troubles never come, we never get stronger. We have no testimony. We have no compassion for others who go through the same things or worse. Trouble is good because its importance is to get us to be thankful to God for life. What's the need of a superhero if there's no super-villian? What's the need for sports if there aren't any opposing teams? So it is with life. Troubles are needed. Trouble is good. If we would just stop the complaining, the bickering, and blaming God, we would learn the valuable joys of trouble's treasures. Diamonds can't shine without pressure. Gold can't be refined without heat. Muscles can't grow without tension. Champions aren't champions unless they face difficult opponents. Think about it. Think about it real hard. Stop blaming everyone, everything, and God about our troubles. Let them come to help mold our character. Stop trying to make straight what God has made crooked. Trouble is good. If He went through, then who are to think we won't go through troubles too?

Til next time, dgwo

Reference:
Romans 8:28-39