The Gift of Challenges

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open shows its true colors.  So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.  Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

James 1:2-4

The home that I purchased in 2010 had housed an elderly couple – he in his 90’s and she with Alzheimer’s disease.  The main bathroom had seen its share of accidents, and a strong lingering smell caused me to decide to completely remodel it – tearing it down to the studs and floor boards.  When the drywall was removed behind the toilet [the wall adjacent to the half bath in the master bedroom], the contractor discovered black mold on the drywall of the small bathroom [the sink had been leaking], requiring that wall to be removed as well.  That sealed the decision to rip out the half bath as well.  The decision was the right one, but left me with a real quandry.

I have not had a functioning bathroom in my home since that day.  I have a membership at the YMCA, so showering is not a big deal, and the tub was the first thing installed, giving me the option of a bath instead of a shower.  The trial of not having a functioning toilet, however, is another matter altogether.  Constantly running to a friend’s house a block away to use her toilet becomes embarrassing after a while.  Most of the time, I have gone to my work church, which is only a half mile away, and bodily functions have come to dictate my daily timetable in an amazing way.

After reading today’s text from James, you might chuckle at my thinking that my bathroom situation is the kind of trial that the apostle is talking about, but I believe that anything, small or large, that challenges our patience and our politeness is just exactly that – a chance to grow and mature in our behavior and attitudes.  My contractor friend broke his big toe yesterday – slowing down the finishing process a bit, but hey – life happens.  His toe is his trial and my bathroomlessness (is there such a word?) is mine. We take so many things for granted in this life, and when we are deprived of them, it is a wonderful lesson in being thankful for even the smallest blessings.