“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”

(James 1:2,3 NLT)

My husband and I certainly didn’t think that it was an opportunity for great joy when our car wouldn’t start. For once, we were in the car at exactly 6:00 a.m., ready to head home from a holiday three years ago, a day’s drive from Silverton, B.C., to Red Deer, Alberta. We had a ferry to catch, so needed to leave on the hour. Terry pushed the starter button on the Ford Escape. A few lights appeared on the dash, but no action. Stunned disbelief. As he fiddled around, even those lights faded away. Now we’ll be stuck here for hours, I thought. We were in a small village, far from any decent garage. I don’t remember if we prayed. Finally, I suggested that he call AMA, the automobile association. The voice at the end of the line promised help within two hours.

In the meantime, I calmly finished my Bible reading, sitting comfortably on the couch in the little house that had been lent to us, instead of trying to read on a winding mountain road. Terry stared out the window. I was impressed that he didn’t seem upset. Thinking that the whole hybrid car battery would need to be removed from the rear, Terry had piled our luggage onto the ground. He had calculated how long it would take for the tow truck to come, and then walked the short distance to the highway to direct it.

“Nope. I can try charging the battery from here,” said the cheerful young mechanic, lifting the hood. “You’ll be fine; as you drive the hour to the ferry you’ll be fully charged. We held our breath at each stop, and it was so. We drove all the way home without further incident.

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce in us a glory that far outweighs them all and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT)

“We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.” (2 Corinthians 6:4b NLT)

Later, as I related the story of our battery issue, my daughter-in-law commented. “That was just a blip.” The dictionary definition of this word says: “a temporary irregularity recorded in performance of something”. The trouble we faced did not last long. We were only delayed by little over a couple of hours, getting home before the sun set. We didn’t overtly react with a bad attitude, but neither did we see anything to be joyful about. Maybe God was showing us something.

When they occur, such setbacks seem really huge. Let’s look at them, however, as just blips on the road of life.

Prayer: Thank You , Lord, that our setbacks are merely interruptions on our path through life. Thank You that You build endurance in us and strengthen our character through testings such as these. Help us to receive them joyfully. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Alice Burnett
Red Deer, Alberta