God's Splinters

We’ve all heard it before. “God never gives us anything we can’t handle.” [BTW, that’s totally bogus, but a topic for another email.] Or how about, “When God closes a door He opens a window.”
Sound bites that find their footing in truth, but sometimes come off a bit too churchie.
(Can I get an AMEN!)
But don’t turn your back on the gist of what’s being said. Bad things happen. Splinters.
But splinters aren’t always as they seem. Was your splinter caused through wrong choices? Can’t blame God for that. Was it a splinter due to an atrocious choice made by someone else? Maybe Free Will there … you can’t blame God for that either. So what do you do?
You learn to take ownership of your splinter.
Know—without a doubt—that you are not out of God’s reach. He still holds you in the palm of his hand. And here’s something else … there’s a reason for what happened. And the opportunity for seeking that purpose is waiting for you. An opportunity that will bring you closer to God.
You might never know why something happened until you cross over into Glory, but know …without a doubt … that it had a purpose. Don’t fight it—give into it. Dig into scripture and seek your splinter’s purpose. Like Apostle Paul’s words to Corinth, “… For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10). And check out James 1:2-4. It tells you the what and why of it all. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
So know splinters come to everyone. The true test of character—and faith—is seen in how you deal with them.