When one of my daughters was younger she seemed to be a "magnet" for illness and injury. As a toddler she spent a week in the hospital because of a severe infection. Later she was stung by a wasp and a wood bee (on separate occasions), nearly had her foot broken in an unfortunate incident involving our dining room chairs, and had a severe allergic reaction to a mosquito bite. I'm not sure why she experienced so many difficulties at such a young age, and a part of me wishes I could have protected her from them. But it seems that God had different plans.
I've often felt God's protecting influence in my life, but there have also been times when He's allowed me to experience the negative consequences of my own mistakes or simply to suffer for no apparent reason. While my struggles are often accompanied by feelings of confusion, fear and frustration, in my moments of clarity I consider it a blessing that I am not in charge of every aspect of my life. My natural tendency would be to seek the path of least resistance, but the seeds of my greatest opportunities have often been sown in the midst of my greatest difficulties. Just as my muscles would atrophy without the constant resistance presented by gravity, my soul would atrophy without the constant resistance presented by adversity.
The trials in my life are not arbitrary, nor am I left to face them alone. When my own strength is exhausted I can rely on God's. There is no wound He cannot heal, no pain He has not borne. There is nothing broken that He cannot make whole again. He has all power, He rules fairly and grants the wisdom to act and the faith to endure. God could allow me to walk the path of least resistance, but He wants me to reach my true potential. And in my moments of clarity I am grateful that He loves me enough to allow me to suffer.
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