The end of vacation from school is fast approaching. You will notice lots of cars in the school parking lots this week. Teachers are busily preparing for next Monday. We got the school supply list today for my youngest. My oldest will get hers at the High School as she moves through her first day of classes. Even I will be in the first day rush next Monday. The school called and asked me to assist them in distributing class schedules. It will be my first day in school in about 30 years. At least I can leave after the job is done. After that, it will be business as usual.

My attitude was pretty bad a few weeks ago. Juggling my youngest with my other responsibilities became a drag. It seemed a good move to take some inventory along with doing some praying to alter that attitude. We are finding our groove just as summer ends. Nothing really changed as far as schedules but at least my outlook improved. We are going to enjoy these last few days together. Tomorrow will be more errand running for the two of us. We may even get a few things on the supply list. It wasn't his fault that my attitude was so poor. Sometimes life just happens to pile up on us when we didn't ask for it.

More than a few times I heard the saying, "God won't put more on us than we can handle." Let me say from the outset that to me this is a false statement. The reason is that the spiritual life is not about managing our messes but finding God in the midst of them. It seems to me that more than a few people in scripture lived with issues far bigger than their ability to handle. Plus, it seems illogical that the very definition of faith would leave out the need to trust God. This is something that I thought and prayed about for a long time before reaching my conclusion. The possibility that God may actually allow more to happen to us than our ability to manage does put Him a bit on trial. My study of scripture seems to indicate that it is a position He knows full well.

Here is how I see the nature of difficulties that we face. Some are self inflicted when we neglect to obey God as He is revealed in His word. We are fully human and totally capable of wounding our self as we go through this world. Theologians call that sin. We also face troubles that come from situations. Sometimes it is not us who do something wrong but another person. We are trapped in the wake of another's sinful choices. There also may be times that difficulty is born of satanic motives. The evil one does roam about seeking to devour those who believe. Experience tells me that he is content using difficulty as much as he is ignoble sin. The last source of our trials is what I call spiritual reasons. God is in charge of our life through Christ so He is indeed entitled to soften the sharp edges of our life so we become more like our Lord. Now all of these reasons are intertwined. They are seldom simply of one type versus the others. What we have to know is not just where did they come from but how do we get God engaged in our life. Who we become because of His presence is far more important than when a trial ends.

Now do not think what is written in theory is any easier to face in daily life. Just because I can make up an outline on trouble does not mean it makes it any better to bear. We as believers need to face up to the reality that trials are part of our experience this side of heaven. The problem with problems resides mostly in how we face them. The crisis of faith that is required in such settings can be as intense as the difficulty itself. This is one reason why the first three verses of John 14 mean so much to us. We are reminded that God knows full well how serious a given moment is but He also says His plan is bigger than the moment. What is that plan? Well, it seems our time is gone for the night. We will try to answer that question in tomorrow's post. So tune in tomorrow at the same Bat time and the same Bat place.

Bro. Trey