"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds," James tells us (James 1:2, New International Version).
So easy to say, but oh, so hard to do! After a recent fiery trial, I discovered a good lesson from the lightbulb man, who helped remind me to see the light.
I came across a most interesting story about Thomas Edison, a story that can help put an end to self-pity. I had a 36-hour bug of that recently and, lo and behold, I stumbled across this story and it, along with the book of James, reminded me that trying times are a normal part of this life. They present an opportunity to strengthen my foundation of joy.
Thomas Edison invented over 1,000 things in addition to the lightbulb and phonograph.
As amazing as his inventions are, I was particularly interested to discover that this man of genius and invention struggled with dyslexia, a learning disability I also faced. Since it was undiagnosed, it was all the more frustrating. Despite this, Edison found ways to learn from his failures.
Did you know that in 1914 one of Edison's buildings caught fire and it quickly spread to most of his other factory and laboratory buildings? Thomas Edison, his employees and fire companies from all around did their best to fight the fire and protect the remaining buildings, but little was spared.
The next morning as he looked at the smoldering rubble, Edison is reported to have said, "There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew."
What an incredible attitude! This story caught my eye big time since I have recently been through a house fire that produced some real pain and sorrow those first couple of days afterward. (My house was saved, but there was structural damage, as well as some water and smoke damage that left me with a bad case of that 36-hour bug of self-pity.) However, upon reading about Mr. Edison's experience, I realized I needed to see it like Edison did—to be able to see beyond the disaster to the potential ahead.
His words pierced me like a knife, since as a pastor, father and husband, I was in somewhat of a state of shock as I thought about my defeated and discouraged attitude of the day. Where I had lost some noticeable money and time, this man had lost much of his life's work. Where I had chosen to see the remaining rubble of the day, this man chose to see the future that awaited him. When I longed to hide under the covers, this man took joy in the good that would come from his loss.
Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (NIV).
If you're feeling frustrated, defeated and discouraged by the trials in your life today, I want to encourage you to look beyond the rubble to what lies ahead. It can be difficult to face our trials with the kind of spirit that sees great value in disaster, but that's what God expects from us if we are to be men and women who walk on their foundation of joy.
Thomas Edison's statement sums up the truth about spiritual growth perfectly: trials are the foundation of joy for spiritual maturity. God is growing us in the image of His Son, the Captain of our salvation who was made perfect through suffering (Hebrews 2:10).
A major way we grow is through the trials that arrive on our doorstep. Through it all we can rely on God: "For You are my rock and my fortress; for Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me" (Psalm 31:3, New American Standard).
