A Bump in the Road

It seems to me that there are some very fundamental reasons why these things are permitted. You might identify with the following:

1. They prove what is in our hearts. When we are under stress, what is uppermost in our hearts will surface revealing the inner person. Moses' message to Israel is an example, "And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no" (Deuteronomy 8:2 KJV).
2. They test the perseverance of our faith. Joshua voiced beautifully the determination of a faithful follower of God. One who had no intentions of turning back in times of difficulty. "And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15 NAS).
3. They establish a precedent for our future responses to difficulties along the way. "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come" (1 Corinthians 10:11 KJV).
4. They provide a certainty of God's faithfulness in response to such conditions. "None of the trials which have come upon you is more than a human being can stand. You can trust that God will not let you be put to the test beyond your strength, but with any trial will also provide a way out by enabling you to put up with it" (1 Corinthians 10:13 NJB).

There are several things we should remember before nursing a complaining spirit toward God and man for our personal "bumps in the road."

1. I like the phrases often used in the KJV Bible: "And it came to pass." Virtually every uncomfortable moment does indeed come to pass—to pass on! A "bump in the road" is quite often just that—just a momentary inconvenience. Difficult times rarely last long but rather fade into a memory leaving their consequences for us to address.
2. The attitudes with which we view the "bumps" largely shape the residual consequences that we may have to face. Every difficulty we face calls forth an assessment in each facet of one's personality: mind, emotions, and will. One reasons with the mind, he reacts in his emotions, and chooses with his will. One can reason wrongly based on wrong information and faulty assumptions thus creating problems that otherwise didn't exist. He can react emotionally governed by his fears and anxieties, thus causing reactions in others further complicating his situation. He can choose wrong courses of actions based on wrong reasoning and faulty reactions thus producing difficult and long-term consequences that otherwise wouldn't have lingered.
3. If one is not careful, the "bumps" he encounters will loom larger in his sight than the road that he must travel. Viewpoint is a tremendous determiner of attitude. It is very important that we always see the larger picture in any trying circumstance.

I have learned in my life, that although I am conscious of the "bumps in my road" my God is greater than all of them. He has always been faithful and has never let me down. Although He may wait until the last instant to meet my need or to resolve my situation, He does not fail.

Be encouraged today.

Jeff