Trials: Perspective and Purpose

So I went to church this morning and the sermon was amazing so I thought I would share some of the notes I took from it. It really applied to what I have been going through.

The correct response to a trial is joy. Whenever we get to trials in life our perspective tends to shrine. We forget how BIG God i. We forget that He holds His children in his hands. That he will take care of our every need and that he knows how we will make it through the trial. He is not going to abandon us. The only way that we will feel abandoned is if we turn our back on God. Whether we walk through trials with our without God is our choice. This decision will determine the outcome of the trial, the feelings we will have during this trial, and whether we "win" or "lose."
We are not told that we MIGHT face trials or IF we face trials. It says WHEN. WHEN we face trials. We can't live life without expecting there to be hard times. Their will be. It's a promise.
Determine what your focus should be and what your perspective should be. Keep your focus and perspective right and it will e much easier to make it through the trial. Our outlook on the trial determines the outcome. Trials are not meant to break us. They are meant to make us stronger by testing our faith. The testing of our faith develops perseverance. Perseverance in turn allows us to develop into more mature Christians, mature and complete. It's very easy to trust God when things are going well. It gets difficult when things are bad.
The pastor asked a question at the beginning of the sermon-Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
The meaning of this question:
To begin with a carrot is strong, durable, and not easily broken. But place this in boiling water for a little while and it becomes weak and soft. This symbolizes someone who begins a trial strong, but allows the trial to get to them and eventually are worn done by it.
The egg has a thin but hard outer shell, but liquid inside. When it is placed in boiling water it gets hard on the inside. It symbolizes someone who goes into a trial weak, but by the time their faith has finished being tested they have become a stronger person.
The coffee bean starts out being strong, not easily broken, and has a good smell. When you place it in boiling water, it retains its aroma, is left with a good taste, and you can still pick out the coffee bean and it will still be hard and durable. This is a picture of someone who starts off well, but finishes even stronger.
Now the application is to determine whether the trials are going to cause us to be a coffee bean, an egg, or a carrot. Am I going to get stronger and better or am I going to allow myself to wilt?
God can bless us even in the midst of life's trials if we will only let him. The only correct response to trials is joy.

Sermon was by Mark Tanious, Asst. Pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Bowie.