PROBLEMS TRANSFORMED INTO OPPORTUNITIES

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil.4:13

The problems you face in life can make you bitter or better. They will either defeat you or develop you--depending on how you respond to them. Unfortunately, most people fail to see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. They react foolishly and resent their problems rather than pausing to consider what benefit they might bring. Let's look at how problems in our lives can be transformed into opportunities to grow in grace.
Here are 5 ways God can help you do that...

#1 God uses problems to DIRECT you. Sometimes God needs to do something drastic to get our attention. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Think about it...Is God trying to get your attention? Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways. Prov.20:30

#2 God uses problems to INSPECT you. People can be like tea bags...if you want to know what's inside them, just drop them into hot boiling water. Has God ever tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you? "When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience." James 1:2-3

#3 God uses problems to CORRECT you. Some lessons we learn only through pain, struggle, and failure. It's likely that as a child your parents told you not to ever touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something...health, money, a job, a relationship--by losing it. Psalm 119:71-72

#4 God uses problems to PROTECT you. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. An acquaintance of mine was fired from her job for refusing to do something unethical. Her unemployment was a problem--but it saved her from future prosecution that took place within the company. Genesis 50:20

#5 God uses problems to PERFECT you. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than in your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you're going to take into eternity. Romans 5:3-5

Here's the point: God is at work in your life--even when you do not recognize or understand it. So the next time a problem arises, consider it from God's perspective and turn that problem into a life-changing opportunity to grow in grace and to give Him honor.

"Sometimes in tragedy we find our life's purpose--
the eye sheds a tear to find its focus." --Robert Brault