{"id":1001,"date":"2018-11-05T00:13:29","date_gmt":"2018-11-05T00:13:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=1001"},"modified":"2018-11-05T00:13:29","modified_gmt":"2018-11-05T00:13:29","slug":"thanking-god-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2018\/11\/thanking-god-problems.html","title":{"rendered":"Thanking God for Your Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"adult-beautiful-blur-770317\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We often are reminded to be grateful to God for our blessings. We are told to have an \u201cattitude of gratitude.\u201d\u00a0 We are told to \u201ccount your blessings.\u201d\u00a0 But how often do we thank God for our problems?\u00a0 Probably never.\u00a0 But I would argue that our problems sometimes can be our greatest blessings in disguise.\u00a0 Our problems often are used by God to mold us into the people that He wants us to become.<\/p>\n

When life is easy, our characters aren\u2019t tested. For instance, it is easy to be kind when you are dealing with pleasant people.\u00a0 But are you able to be kind when others are being rude?\u00a0 That is far more difficult.\u00a0 It is in those situations that we have the opportunity to grow in emotional maturity.<\/p>\n

The key to being thankful for your problems is to ask yourself, \u201cWhat can I learn from this situation? How can this situation help me grow in maturity?\u201d\u00a0 Be creative in figuring out how you can benefit from the situation.\u00a0 Don\u2019t simply focus on the obvious problem at hand.<\/p>\n

Below are some ways to see your problems as the blessings that they may very well be. If you approach your problems in the right way, they ultimately can be to your benefit.\u00a0 And you will be thanking God for them.<\/p>\n

Closed Doors Can Be A Good Thing:<\/strong> \u00a0In the past, I used to think that disappointments were a bad thing.\u00a0 For example, if I applied for a job and didn\u2019t get it, I thought that something bad had happened to me.\u00a0 I no longer have that attitude.\u00a0 I now know that the job wasn\u2019t right for me.\u00a0 Or, God may have a better job in mind for me.\u00a0 Sometimes my plans just aren\u2019t as good as God\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n

In fact, we typically run into problems in life when we try to force open those closed doors. Think how many divorces could be avoided if people didn\u2019t force a relationship into marriage when that wasn\u2019t meant to be?\u00a0 I did exactly that in my first marriage.\u00a0 I pushed a relationship into marriage that just wasn\u2019t meant for that level of commitment.\u00a0 Now that I am older, I regret how much pain I caused by forcing open a door that should have remained closed.<\/p>\n

There is a wonderful scene in the Sound of Music when Maria is speaking with the head of the abbey. The head of the abbey tells her, \u201cWhen the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.\u201d How true!\u00a0 So, when you face a closed door, don\u2019t fret.\u00a0 Don\u2019t try to force open the door.\u00a0 Just wait.\u00a0 Be grateful for the closed door.\u00a0 The door is probably closed for a good reason.\u00a0 But if you are patient, kind and work hard, God will open a window for you.\u00a0 And that window will lead to something far better than you ever could have dreamed.<\/p>\n

Problems Are Character Builders<\/strong>:\u00a0 When you face problems, even though it may be hard, try to hold yourself to the highest standard of behavior.\u00a0 For instance, it is easy to be irritable when life isn\u2019t going your way.\u00a0 It is easy when you are in a bad mood to take your feelings out on others.\u00a0 Worse yet, it is easy to make excuses for not meeting your responsibilities.<\/p>\n

But that isn\u2019t what God expects from us. God wants to see us be kind, even when we are under stress.\u00a0 He wants us to put the needs of others before our own concerns.\u00a0 He wants us to meet our responsibilities, even when that may be difficult to do.\u00a0 He wants to see us achieve that higher level of maturity.<\/p>\n

When we live honorably, even in the midst of difficulty, we build our characters. We show what we are made of.\u00a0 It is easy to be kind and easy going when life is going well.\u00a0 Frankly, anyone can do that.\u00a0 But being kind when we are tired or under stress is the difference between being a person of average ethics versus being a person of exceptional ethics.\u00a0 How we act under stress is the test of who we truly are.<\/p>\n

I will admit that I have become better at passing these character tests as I have gotten older. In my youth, I would become very overwhelmed and self-centered when faced with personal problems.\u00a0 It is only now that I am older, that when faced with a problem, I know that I shouldn\u2019t focus on my problem.\u00a0 Rather, I need to focus on how I am handing the problem.<\/p>\n

I ask myself, \u201cAm I being as patient as possible with others? Am I being kind, even if those around me are being difficult?\u00a0 Am I holding myself to the highest standard of behavior, regardless of the stress that I am under?\u201d<\/p>\n

The key when facing a problem is to focus on the development of our character, rather than focusing on our problem. We probably don\u2019t have much control over our problem anyway.\u00a0 So our time is better spent focusing on how we can develop our characters.\u00a0 In that way, we can benefit, even when facing hard times.<\/p>\n

Problems Push Us to Achievement<\/strong>:\u00a0 We need resistance to accomplish something in life.\u00a0 Let\u2019s say, God gave you $200K per year, a nice house and a luxury car.\u00a0 And you had to do nothing for it.\u00a0 Would you be inspired to get a job or have any professional achievements?\u00a0 Probably not.\u00a0 I\u2019m not saying you would eat chips and watch television all day, but you wouldn\u2019t be motivated to get a higher education.\u00a0 And you probably wouldn\u2019t invent or create anything new.<\/p>\n

Most people need challenges in order to achieve great things in life. It is no small wonder that many of our presidents have come from humble beginnings.\u00a0 The desire to push oneself to achieve greatness often comes from the need to rise above one\u2019s circumstances.<\/p>\n

For example, young people who are given college educations and down payments for their first homes by their parents aren\u2019t as motivated as their peers who have to work for those same things. College is going to mean a lot more to you if you have to pay for it yourself.\u00a0 You aren\u2019t going to treat it as another four years of high school.\u00a0 Similarly, if your hard-earned pennies paid for your first home down payment, you\u2019ll never take that house for granted.<\/p>\n

So, count your problems as blessings in disguise. It isn\u2019t your problems that are keeping you from achieving things in life.\u00a0 Rather, your problems should be what drive you to achieve.\u00a0 So, whenever you encounter challenges in life, don\u2019t allow them to upset you.\u00a0 Instead, rise to the challenge.\u00a0 Do your best to overcome your circumstances, and see God do great things in your life.<\/p>\n

This week, when you think about your problems, try to think about how they might be opportunities to grow in maturity. Think about how God could use them to propel you ahead to greater success in life.\u00a0 Know that with the right attitude, your problems could be your greatest blessings.<\/p>\n

(Photo Courtesy of Pexels)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We often are reminded to be grateful to God for our blessings. We are told to have an \u201cattitude of gratitude.\u201d\u00a0 We are told to \u201ccount your blessings.\u201d\u00a0 But how often do we thank God for our problems?\u00a0 Probably never.\u00a0 But I would argue that our problems sometimes can be our greatest blessings in disguise.\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThanking God for Your Problems - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2018\/11\/thanking-god-problems.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Thanking God for Your Problems - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We often are reminded to be grateful to God for our blessings. We are told to have an \u201cattitude of gratitude.\u201d\u00a0 We are told to \u201ccount your blessings.\u201d\u00a0 But how often do we thank God for our problems?\u00a0 Probably never.\u00a0 But I would argue that our problems sometimes can be our greatest blessings in disguise.\u00a0…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2018\/11\/thanking-god-problems.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-11-05T00:13:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/files\/2018\/11\/adult-beautiful-blur-770317.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Meerabelle Dey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Thanking God for Your Problems - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2018\/11\/thanking-god-problems.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Thanking God for Your Problems - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration","og_description":"We often are reminded to be grateful to God for our blessings. 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