So You’re Going through a Hard Time

Have you ever wondered what sound comes from the lips of a human being flogged with 40 lashes? The same sound that comes from the lips of a teenage boy being asked to take any form of liquid or tablet medicine.

I bought Airborne chewables, delightful little orange-flavored, candy-ish tablets, now that school has started and the germs are flyin’. Caleb came home with the sniffles, so I handed him one and told him to chew it.

I walked away, and from the kitchen I heard, I don’t like this!

I said, That’s okay.

Then he started laughing, because he didn’t know what to do with that reply.

Was he hoping for a My darling. I shall never make you take another Airborne tablet again. Yeah, the next time he starts with the sniffles or complains of a sore throat he’s chewing another one of those Airbornes.

Some things are not pleasant but need to happen.

James tells the believers what to do when God offers them a bitter pill that doesn’t taste good.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” (James 1:2 NIV)

Consider it pure joy, my son, when your mother makes you brush your teeth and take your vitamin C and drink water instead of soda. It doesn’t have to be fun or pleasant even.

Trials are the medicine that promotes maturity and completion and not lacking anything. (See James 1:4 NIV)

My husband just came down and read this blog post over my shoulder. His eyes lit up, and he said, I need an Airborne chewable! (The man loves hard candy.)

I said, You’re not sick.

He said, Somebody at work was sick.

I said, Okay. Threaten to make Caleb take one, too.

He ran upstairs to the medicine cabinet, announcing to Caleb they were both going to take some Airborne.

Caleb said, Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.

Do we talk to God that way when he hands us a trial that will be good for us in the long run?