High - Low!

This past Sunday evening during our home-based small group meeting, we began our time together with "High-Low." We proceeded to go around the circle and share a "high" and a "low" from our previous week. It resulted in a great time of sharing.

Since yesterday was my day off, my wife and I "celebrated" Valentine's Day. We drove to Towson, MD to have lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe. (If you are looking for an interesting dining experience, I would highly recommend it. Quite unique!) Over lunch during the course of four computer controlled thunderstorms, three howling chimps, two trumpeting elephants and a partridge in a pear tree (OK - the partridge I just threw in!), we decided to look back at the year 2006 via "High-Low." As we talked about the past year's highs, it was easy to smile, laugh and rejoice over the blessings of God. God had been quite good to us - far more than we deserve! But as we talked about some of the "lows" we encountered, we both could feel some of the pain that still lingers.

None of us relish in the lows of life. The highs are much more fun! Yet without life's lows, God would not be able to do His work in our lives. Really? Yes! That's what the Bible clearly teaches. In James 1:2-4 we are told to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." The Apostle Paul concurs when he writes, "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4). So I guess what I am trying to say is this: we need to learn to rejoice in life's lows just as we rejoice in life's highs. For without the lows, God would not be able to complete the good work he has started in us!

Thanks for listening,

pj