Thankful For The Trials

Thankful For The Trials

Facing Tough Situations Is Like Climbing Mt. Everest

When we are faced with difficult situations in life, we often feel as though we’re inexperienced climbers trying to make our way on top of Mt. Everest. We feel inadequate, we see no hope in ever reaching our dreams.

Problems overwhelm us that we can’t wait to get out where we are. We want all our trials to be over. We want our problems to be solved. We want to be able to teleport ourselves straight towards the top of the mountain even without undergoing the difficult climb.

We Can’t Survive The Mountain Top

Our problem is that even if we could be teleported straight on top of Mt. Everest, we wouldn’t survive it once we get there. Did you know that if a person were to be directly lifted from sea level and placed on top of Mt. Everest, that person would most probably die? This is because the body has not been able to gradually adjust (or “acclimatize”) to such a high altitude environment.

Per Wikipedia, “acclimatization to high altitude continues for months or even years after initial ascent, and ultimately enables humans to survive in an environment that, without acclimatization, would kill them.”

Even climbers spend weeks trying to acclimatize to this very high altitude. They don’t risk their own lives by going straight towards the top of Mt. Everest.

Many times however, that’s what we want to do. We want to take shortcuts, routes that we think would give us immediate success but ultimately leads only to our failure.

The Climb Prepares Us For The Peak

The training we need to do and the difficult task of slowly climbing and adjusting to the new altitude are the things that prepare us for the tougher climate at the top.

Further, it’s the experience of our journey and perseverance which gives us a sweeter victory once we are able to reach our goal. We can’t cheat our triumphs, because true success is the transformation that took place in our own hearts.

Without this transformation, we’d immediately lose all the material things we wanted to acquire. Imagine winning a big amount of money without knowing how to wisely manage it. Without the right knowledge and preparation, we’d only lose everything as quickly as we’ve gained it!

Gratitude For The Climb

It is said that one of the best qualities of a successful person is gratitude. But how could we feel grateful when we’re jobless, or heartbroken, or lost?

The key is in knowing what purposes such trials render to our lives. What is the meaning of this difficult situation in your life? How could it strengthen you? How could it prepare you for the kind of life you’re dreaming of?

We can be grateful even for trials that come our way. Thankful for the opportunity to change, to be wiser, to be tougher, we can live the difficult moment as though we’re the hero in our own movie where we are being challenged to rise beyond our fears and our hurts.

Don’t jump towards the end without witnessing where the hero’s power really came from. Thankful for the trials, it is the fire that gave the phoenix a brand new life!

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. -Psalm 126:5

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