We don’t like it very much when things don’t go our way. 

You may have your day planned out perfectly, but that doesn’t mean that everything is going to work out how you’ve pictured it. 

It happens to me a lot, especially when it comes to my time. For example, I’ll plan to do a certain task from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. I have chosen this time frame because it best suits my needs.

But then something comes up. It might be some sort of emergency, or I have to run an unexpected errand. Whatever it is, it disrupts my flow and causes me stress.

Or it may not have anything to do with my time. It might be that the A/C quits working in the house when it’s 90-plus degrees outside.

Whatever it is that causes you frustration, anxiety, and fretting — that’s what the Bible calls a trial. The Scriptures mention these trials a number of times.

One of the most well known examples is found in James 1:2-4:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

When we mention to someone else that we’re experiencing difficulties, they may quote this verse and tell us to count our troubles as blessings. 

If you’re like me, you find it extremely hard — almost impossible —- to be joyful when the contents of your water heater are pouring out all over your hardwood floor.

Yet that’s what the Lord has told us to do.

Count. It. All. Joy.

When calamities happen, I often find myself questioning God. 

“Why did you let this happen to me, God? I went to church this week. I tipped extra at dinner the other night. I’ve been GOOD!”

But God isn’t necessarily worried about making our lives easier during hard times — even when we think we’re extra worthy of His favor. 

He’s more interested in how we respond to life’s challenges. I believe He allows difficult times in our lives as a means to an end. 

I’ve always heard it said that faith is like any other muscle in the body. If you lift weights regularly, your arms will begin to get stronger as your biceps and triceps grow.

He wants these trials to help grow our faith, because the more we use and stretch our faith, the stronger it becomes. And the more our faith grows, the more our patience develops.

I’ll admit that most of the time I don’t want to be faced with the choice to grow my faith or not. 

I’d much rather MY life go according to MY plans so I can look back at the end of the day and say, “I created a fine day for myself. Everything happened just as I wanted.”

Not only did my faith not grow that day, I also left God completely out of the picture. 

Without any reason to test my faith —and to trust Him in difficult circumstances — I instead relied solely on my own abilities.

With no challenges to face, I didn’t need to seek His will for my life that day, and I didn’t need to ask Him for wisdom to see difficulties through His lens.

However, when I have life’s challenges to deal with, I get the opportunity to ask God, “What do you want me to learn from getting a flat tire on the side of the road?

That is a better response than becoming bitter about having to change the tire in the hot sun and getting my clothes dirty.

Remember, James tells us to count it all joy when we’re faced with trials, not if.

I may as well accept this fact of life and get used to things not going perfectly. After all, God has everything under control and isn’t going to let any trial go to waste. 

He’s always working things out for our benefit — to help us become more like Jesus and prepare us for eternity with Him.

James says in verse 12 of the same chapter:

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

I’ll be better off as soon as I understand that life’s difficulties are just one of the many tools God uses for His purposes.