I enjoy springtime in Missouri. But more times than not, that means gloomy, cloudy, windy days versus sunny days. I would assume most of us prefer sunshine and warmth, versus cloudy and chilly. While I occasionally enjoy curling up with a book and reading during a thunderstorm, I would not choose that on a daily basis. I would choose sunshine. But the fact is we need the rain on a regular basis. If not for the rain, our world would be in dire need.; a desert wasteland, with the lack of water causing drought everywhere.

Isn’t it a little like that in our lives? None of us would choose the bad days and would much prefer the good days. The difficult days are the ones that challenge our patience and even our faith. They bring bad news, health challenges, job issues, and more. And yet, without those we would not have an appreciation for the good days.

The fact is our challenges and trials make us into wiser, more mature individuals. In fact, Romans 5:1-5 says, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (NLT)

We become people of character and hope when we encounter the trials and difficulties of this life, if we rely on Christ and stay strong in our faith. The bad days will undoubtedly come occasionally to all of us and, indeed, some of my friends seem to get more of them than others, But those times of testing and trials serve to help us develop character and wisdom. They also gives us hope for the future of heaven, where all of those trials and tribulations will be gone. The tears will be wiped away, and we will be living in the presence of a holy God. That makes the gloomy weather worth while in the end.