"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (James
1:2-3 NIV)

Do you ever wonder why, when you are feeling like you have had enough and don't
know how you will continue to cope any longer, God sends something new for you
to get through that may be even harder to bear.

After 15 years of coming to terms with the physical limitations of my body, I
found that I had a new type of pain and something that was more acutely serious
than my original problem. It meant many doctors visits, scans and trips to
hospital for treatment or rehabilitation. My focus changed because this current
problem could not just be lived with as it was, it has to be treated and fixed.

I've often thought that God sends us trials to wake us up, to show us our need
of Him, or to put the needs and situations of others around us in better
perspective. When God sends something else as well, I wonder if He is wanting
to reinforce those messages, or to teach me something new. I don't know the
answer, but at that time I found the following things to be true for me.

God reinforced to me that He is with me in every situation, He showed me His
promises and gave me new ones as well.

He sent me friends and family to encourage me, to take me to appointments and
care for me when I could not look after myself. He provided me with everything
I "needed".

I didn't know what the future held for me then, especially in terms of my job
security after I had an operation, but I did know that God is always in control.

Maybe even though I thought I had learned these lessons over that first 10-15
years, I needed a wake-up call to remind me who really is in control of my life
and its possible God will need to remind me again, if I lose sight of that, and
become overwhelmed by the worries of everyday. God is always bigger than my
problems!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fiona Burrows lives in Melbourne Australia. After more than 20 years of chronic
back pain, God is still teaching her lessons and providing His grace.