Book Club Day 7: Broken and Alone...Again

Welcome to the Faith Deployed...Again online book club, Day 7! (Not sure what this is all about? Click here.) In Your Book: Before we begin, please turn in your copy of Faith Deployed...Again to page 82 and read "Broken and Alone" by Catherine Fitzgerald. (If you don't have a book, don't go away! We'd love to have you join us for this discussion anyway!) Now Let's Talk: Today's discussion is led by Catherine Fitzgerald. It’s incredible to see God’s faithfulness come full circle in our darkest of times. When I wrote this devotional about a season over a year and a half ago, I was coming off the heels of two miscarriages and in the throes of our fourth deployment. Now, as I sit writing this post, I am seven months pregnant, with my husband having left just three days ago for yet another deployment. It seems that God has healed the very thing that shattered me when I wrote this devotional, but still this past month my mind has been racing with fears and “what ifs” at the impending difficulties of a newborn child being born with daddy gone and being a single parent again to my four year old and this new life. I may not be wounded in the same way as before, but I find myself “broken and alone” in a different set of circumstances. [Tweet "Trials and difficult times can come from places of gladness as much as they can from places of sorrow."] Fortunately, God has been doing a mighty work within me through His word as I prepare for another season of trials. Brokenness doesn’t always come from painful things, sometimes it can come from the good things as well: the gifts, the blessings, the joys. Ask any mother about this truth, childbirth alone is a testament to this fact. What God has been revealing to me is that trials and difficult times can come from places of gladness as much as they can from places of sorrow. James acknowledged this connection between joy and pain:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” (James 1:2-3 NIV)

The word “trials” come from the Greek peirasmos, which means the, “adversity, affliction, trouble: sent by God and serving to test or prove one's character, faith, holiness (Strongs, G3986).” James knew these tests would come in various packages, both those of blessing and sadness. So, how does the joy unmask itself out of the troubles, adversities and affliction that God sends our way? My own trials have shown me that the joy isn’t in the actual hardship that comes along with the trying times. No, joy that revels in one’s own pain is self-destructive and unhealthy. The joy James is referring to is revealed when we realize that God’s allowing of trouble is His way to tell us that He loves us too much to leave us in our present state. You see, constantly waging war within us is our fleshly desires battling against our desire to live our lives according to the precepts of God’s word (See Romans 7:14-24). The trials, the difficulties, the sorrows, and the blessings that bring about tough terrain in our lives are designed to mold and shape our faith and character into what God desires it to be. [Tweet "The glorious riches God has for us cannot sink deep down within our souls until the impurities rise up so that He can take them away."] As Proverbs 17:3 says, “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.” The beautiful, pure precious metals are not seen until intense heat is applied. The same is true in our hearts. The glorious riches God has for us cannot sink deep down within our souls until the impurities rise up so that He can take them away. And until we arrive into our eternal home, this process will be a permanent one in our lives. As I sit alone in the midst of another trial, a point of brokenness that comes from an incredible blessing, God continuously reminds me of how quick I am to get comfortable in times where no hardship exists. I get lazy in my faith. I get complacent in my character. And my God cares way too much about those things and about me to allow that to happen. The next seven months are going to require a constant communication and relationship with my Heavenly Father. It’s going to require an endless stream of grace and mercy that can only flow from His outstretched hands. So many times we fight our broken and alone times when instead we should be embracing them with a joy that knows our Father is working for us and in us. Discuss: Trials are constant. They come in many forms. What trials do you currently find yourself facing? Are they the result of a blessing or a sorrow? Do you find yourself both broken and alone in this moment? While neither His thoughts are comparable to ours nor His ways our own, how might He be trying to test and refine your character, faith and/or holiness in these trials? What area of your life or faith is in need of transformation? Pray: Lord, while it is hard to endure the difficulties that come in this life, I know that ultimately they will grow me in ways only You can imagine. Give me the faith that trusts in you at all times. Give me a joy that relishes the opportunities to be drawn nearer to You and deeper into fellowship with You. In Your precious name, Amen.