The trials that make you victorious

Sometimes it takes walking through the fire to appreciate the rain. Even though trials are hard, they are necessary. Just as fire refines iron, trials will refine and build you. Do you know those moments you feel anything but victorious? Those times you feel like you're failing all the way and wonder how you can get back on the winning track? As grueling and difficult those moments may seem, they set you up for victory.

Truth is, some trials may not make you feel victorious at all. Maybe wiser but not like you just won - more like you survived. Why? Because sometimes the silly decisions we made caused us to go through those trials in the first place. My husband always says: "Wisdom is learning from other people's mistakes instead of just making mistakes yourself." And that is so accurate. Going through life is not just a series of falling and picking yourself up again. It's about growth mentally, spiritually and even physically. And growth means not just walking through life looking at yourself but being aware of the things happening around you. You observe, take notes and learn. So, the trials that truly make you victorious could also be something you learned from another person's experience. Those things could help you understand what to do in a similar situation.

True wisdom is learning and growing, not only trying to avoid mistakes. Sometimes there are mistakes that you couldn't have foreseen because you have never been in a situation like this before. Still, there are some protective mechanisms you can set in place that will always keep you balanced, even in the most off-balancing, off guard, taken by surprise situations and that is: Knowing who you are! In other words, there is a point you would build yourself up to mentally and personality-wise that absolutely nothing can trip you up - no matter what kind of situation you are faced with. Wonder how you can get to that place? "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16 NIV

Your foundation matters! It will determine if you can weather the storms and stay grounded or if you will be blown away by the winds. If your convictions, thoughts, and beliefs are shaky, so will your response be when trials come. You will continue to pick up broken pieces instead of simply dusting yourself off after standing firm. It's not bad to fall and to get back up again but at some point, you need to stop falling and keep focusing on moving forward and upward - then you will always be victorious.