Trials or Challenges: YOU CHOOSE

First think of one of your hardest trials.  Stop and get it in your head.

• Feeling inadequate?
• liver disease
• Abuse about your religious beliefs?
• Friendships
• Extreme busy-ness stress. 

Consider two categories to lump these into:

1. Natural which are trials or things that happen to us:  like liver disease, being born to bad parents, disabilities, weakness, death, or accidents.  The other type is
2. Consequential:  things that are results of our choices.  DUI, bad decisions, sin, temptations

The atonement doesn't discriminate between the two. In the BIBLE in Mark the story of the swine possessed by the unclean spirits shows that Christ gives them their request, even those who are unworthy are given what they ask for.

It doesn't matter which we suffer from, God doesn't say, "Well, you brought that one on yourself, tough luck."  Instead the atonement fills in the gaps, heals the sorrows, and strengthens our testimony of Him.  Turn to the Lord in all your fears, weaknesses, sorrows.

• Can we overcome trials ourselves?  We can make an attempt and when we do, imagine how that might make a loving God feel?  For whom did Christ as our Savior suffer?

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE:

Weak that heading in the topical guide leads to scriptures all about how the Lord gives us weakness to make us strong.  Perhaps challenges are put to us to strengthen us and strengthen our trust in God.

Now imagine your trial again while you hear about one of the trials from our group:

And looking in the rearview mirror helps.

The level of your trial might be linked to the strength of your character.  We know the Lord gives us nothing beyond what we can manage (WITH HIM).

We watched a video about a guy who says when you are down, get back up.  Find a way:

Link for Nick Vusicic video  More on YouTube
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4uG2kSdd-4