An Invitation to Holiness

Life is a test, and every man, woman, boy, and girl will be tested sometime, somehow, and someway during their lifetime. It does not matter if they believe in God or not; each one of us will be tested through trials, hardships, and experience some level of pain. It's just a part of life. You see, God often puts us in hopeless situations that appear to have no way up, over, or out. He permits pandemics that are disturbing and uncomfortable. He surrounds us with social injustice that seems crushing and overwhelming. He allows us to go through deep dark, dangerous valleys of food shortages, unemployment, and loss of loved ones that cause fear and trepidation. He enables and permits these things and more because they can bring a new awareness of understanding and create an opportunity for a closer relationship with Him. Every experience is useful, strengthening, and capable of empowering us to grow spiritually stronger in the development of godly characters if we let it. Even Jesus, who came into this world as the perfect representative of the human family, through His life demonstrates that He wasn't above being tested. He was driven into the wilderness, stabbed by suffering, stung by pain, startled by disappointment and stalked by death. All seemed lost; all seemed done. It looked like the sun had set on the Light of the world like life had met death, and death had won. But because He was obedient, we can rejoice; we can shout; we can celebrate; we can give thanks, because neither disappointment, heartache, trouble, the wilderness nor death could dissuade Jesus from going through. Because He went through, so can we.