Good evening brethren!  We hope this Sabbath evening finds you all doing well!

Trials everywhere

It seems everywhere we turn recently, someone in our church family is dealing with a health trial.  Some locally, some across the country.  Some big, some small and so many that it's hard to keep up with them all.  And of course, this week, a dear, sweet lady from our Columbia congregation lost her battle with cancer.  Quite frankly, it's enough to discourage even those with the strongest faith.

Are things getting worse?

As we see all of these trials come to pass, we can't help but wonder, 'Are things getting worse?'  In some ways, it certainly seems so.  100 years ago, man didn't have a way to blow himself off the map.  Now, multiple countries across the globe can.  10 years ago, same-sex marriage was unthinkable.  Now, legalized by the Supreme Court and common throughout the United States. 

So, on some level, things have gotten worse.  But what about for each of us, individually?  While some of the more recent developments of life seem terrifying and hard to bear, I think if we look objectively at things, it's clear to see that personal trials on a human level have always existed.  Our parents and grandparents might not have known what cancer or the 'superflu' were, but they had their own concerns: polio, smallpox, etc.  And that's just health.  Concerns like economic instability, adultery and theft go back to when Adam and Eve were first cast out of the garden of Eden. 

Even Jesus Christ had trials.  On the week of His death, He had one of his closest disciples betray Him.  Others fought over who was His right-hand man.  Then there were the accusations and mockery by the ruling government of the day.  Finally, a beating and torture that eventually ended in a long and excruciating death.  Christ of course knew what was coming, as evidenced by His words in Matthew 26:38-39, (NKJV) "Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."" 

How to carry on

The key lies in what Christ said: "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."  In this eight words, Christ sums up how He - and we - must endure trials.  It is a matter of deepest faith to know no matter what happens, it'll be okay.  If we lose a job, lose a friend, or even our own life, we must take a step back and understand that God has a plan (Romans 8:28), and that it will work out.

As we endure life and its many trials, we can rest assured that THE plan is being accomplished, whether we see it or not!  Let's encourage each other with our words and prayers, and let us never forget Christ's rally cry to each of our own personal victory in Matthew 24:13, "But he who endures to the end shall be saved"!