Growing in the Cracks of Life
A devotional by Kathleen Rouser
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”—James 1:2-4 (WEB)
The presence of icicle pansies tends to brighten my day.
The delicate yellow, cream, and purple flowers are always lovely to see. They provide a pop of color in late fall, early spring, and sometimes through the summer. Even though they’re annuals, they’re hardy! Last year, about five icicle pansy plants had seeded themselves into the cracks of our patio.
I didn’t plant, fertilize or water them, but there they were popping up from hardpacked soil, between large slabs of concrete. The back of the house receives the morning and intense early afternoon sun. It’s exposed to the cold rain and wind. Yet, these little flowers flourished, even when they were stepped on or picked.
After a storm, I’d peek outside as I wondered about their fate. But when they dried, they perked right up, still beautiful. At some point, during the summer, I started giving them a drink each time I watered the potted flowers around them, and I marveled at how well they’d done without my help.
The first chapter of the Bible book of James reminds us that it’s the testing of our faith that produces patience and endurance, fruits that blossom with gaining spiritual maturity—much like beautiful flowers that grow well in the harshest circumstances. Testing puts our faith walk with God on the line.
Quite a few years ago, I had a tough time. It began with losing a very wanted baby through miscarriage, having to move my elderly mom away from me and closer to my sister, experiencing postpartum depression, being diagnosed with anemia, and feeling brokenhearted when my mother passed away. Soon after her death, I was diagnosed with chronic Epstein-Barr virus, which is like a prolonged mono, and my husband (Jack) fell off the roof of our house!
Completely worn out, I wasn’t sure how I’d ever take care of my husband while he recovered. The long road began with a month in the hospital for Jack, with surgeries and recovery from multiple head-to-toe fractures. While he was in a wheelchair for the next five months, learning to walk again, and then continuing rehab, God continued to intervene at every turn.
People from hundreds of miles away prayed for him and many friends also supplied us with delicious meals for us to eat until my kids missed my cooking enough to beg me to make my special recipes for them again. At the hospital, my husband chose thankfulness, despite the overwhelming pain. He even wrote thank you notes to the cafeteria staff at the hospital! We saw answered prayer and miracles almost every day. In the midst of the valley, God lifted us to the mountaintop and held us there in His arms.
We grew closer to the Lord and to each other. This fearful Christian (me), who hadn’t grown much spiritually in eighteen years, was forced to grow in my faith as tests and trials pressed in around me. For me, it was the beginning of a new stage of growth in my faith journey with Jesus Christ. I may not have chosen these trials, but God knew what He was doing as He allowed each one.
The end game God has in mind is to conform us to the image of His Son (Jesus), but will we choose to cooperate with Him? Romans 8:28-29 (WEB) says, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.”
I once read a book that challenged me to thank God for my trials. And I did so begrudgingly for more recent testing I’ve endured. Yet, that somehow set me free and allowed God to do a new work in me. There wasn’t instant joy by any means, but perhaps that’s what it means to “Count it all joy.” If I can look at each trial—big or small—as something that God wants to use for my good and His glory, then thankfulness and even joy may flourish.
Like the pansies in the cracks of the patio, we too can grow to be hardier and our roots deeper into our faith despite the hard circumstances around us.
Let’s Pray: Father in Heaven, help me to see that You lovingly allow the difficulties, whether big or little, into my life that I might shine brighter for You. Please give me a more thankful heart that leads to Your special kind of joy. Help me to conform into the image of Your Son. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.
Song of Reflection: “Count It All Joy” by BeBe and CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.
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Author Bio:
Kathleen Rouser is the award-winning author of Rumors and Promises, her first novel about the people of fictional Stone Creek, Michigan, and a multi-published author of historical Christian romance. She is a longtime member in good standing of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).
Kathleen has loved making up stories since she was a little girl and wanted to be a writer before she could even read. She’s in the grip of God’s grace and is a fan of the three C’s: cats, coffee, and chocolate.
Kathleen is mother of three children. She is also a former homeschool instructor, mild-mannered dental assistant, and new Community Bible Study Children and Youth Director. Kathy lives in Michigan with her hero and husband of many years, and two sweet cats who found a home in their empty nest.
As an author, she is represented by Linda S. Glaz of the Linda S. Glaz Literary Agency.
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