Each of us encounters moments that catch us off guard. The phone rings and we receive news we didn’t anticipate. An important meeting takes a hard left turn. Our spouse starts an unwanted conversation. A routine trip to the doctor reveals something concerning. There are few “unexpecteds” in life that lead us to jump for joy—instead, unanticipated circumstances usually produce emotional turmoil. After the initial shock, we must make personal adjustments to navigate situations we didn’t foresee or desire.
When life changes in a blink, we rarely see our new reality to our benefit. The “opportunity” before us doesn’t feel like a gift—it feels like a storm cloud destined to deliver strong winds, floods, and lighting bolts. After all, acclimating to our new circumstances may be an arduous process that costs us dearly, and we may have done nothing to invite our shifting sands.
Now we “get” to work through fear, doubt, anger, or grief. We have a “new chance” to learn to live with less (e.g. decreased income or a smaller family support system). We have a “fresh opportunity” to extend forgiveness (an especially tall order if the offender isn’t sorry). Or we happen upon a “new season” of learning how to suffer well (living with a compromised body while life’s responsibilities remain intact).
Yes, challenging circumstances result in personal hardship. We may have to let go of a job, home, savings account, or loved one. While difficult, God does not want the pain of our earthly scenarios to detract us from the opportunity to walk with Him through them.
Our circumstances may never be made right, but we can mature in Christ despite them (and sometimes, because of them). Unpleasant seasons of life create opportunities for constructive change. The blessing that comes from hardship is rarely buried in the circumstance. Rather, it’s a fruit that is born as we attempt to offer time and energy to our relationship with God—the very resources our hardship demands. Growth comes as we broaden our perspective, seeking God’s line of sight.
3 LESSONS TO TAKE FROM FACING UNEXPECTED CHALLENGES
Here are three ways we can promote God’s perspective when the going gets tough:
1. Look in the mirror.
Your current difficulty may not be a “test from God,” but you can use the circumstance to personally assess your walk with Him. On Sunday mornings you may have regularly sung, “It is well with my soul” or “I surrender all,” but had life been harmonious then?
During the first decade I was a Christian, I sometimes anticipated hardship, wondering what unwanted challenge might be around the corner. I imagined future difficulties, curious how my response would (or wouldn’t) reflect my relationship with Christ. Unsure, I hoped I would face future hardship with some measure of godly maturity. However, in my early thirties, when my dad fell critically ill and wasn’t expected to survive, I spent the first few days questioning God. Similar to Peter who compared his fate to John’s (John 21: 21–2), I criticized the Lord for allowing illness upon my father when nearly all my friends’ fathers were well.
In short, our perceived maturity in Christ and how we think we will respond to hardship is often proved different in reality. If we respond poorly to challenging circumstances, we should not succumb to a sense of shame (Ps. 31:1). However, an ungodly response to unwelcomed scenarios is telling; it reveals the areas where we can still grow in God. The Lord knows where we have room to mature (Jer. 17:9–10), but circumstances expose us to ourselves. Through them, we discover ways we’re operating in our own strength—and failing. With increased self-awareness, we can request God’s help and seek to abide in Him more closely.
2. Look for God to work.
In painful and challenging circumstances, trite sentiments from others ricochet from our hearts. Instead of empty words, we want to know the reason behind our situation, or better yet, we’d like the difficulty removed. God may not grant those desires, but His hand is usually visible even in extremely troubled times.
Not long ago, my mother (the caregiver to my handicapped father) fell and shattered her arm, requiring seventeen pins and three plates to repair. Quitting a job I had just begun, I packed a bag, flew to my parents, and stayed a few months. Yes, my husband and I were apart, our “normal” life was disrupted, and the experience was challenging (physically, mentally, and emotionally). But God’s presence was evident through answered prayer and the assistance of friends.
In more desperate circumstances, we may not be able to see the hand of God. Still, we can request God to help us grow our faith regardless of the outcome (Mark 9:24). Faith is believing what we cannot see and knowing wholeheartedly God is present, loves us, and is in control (Heb. 11:1, Jer. 23:24, Rom. 8:38–9, Ps. 22:28). In our pain, we can choose to believe God is working, despite what our eyes see and our heart feels. Comfort comes upon remembering we’re never alone and realizing that more is happening in our situation than meets the eye (Heb. 13:5, 2 Kings 6:8–17).
3. Re-orient to God.
We find great comfort in routine, good health, and an intact family. Stability and a predictable existence may compete with the lordship of Jesus in our life, even unknowingly. When difficulty arises, we may realize the excessive value we placed on our wonderful lives. Our earthly loves may have unintentionally usurped our relationship with Christ. Hardships have an uncanny way of revealing this, or they may prove that Christ is preeminent in our hearts, regardless of what He allows in our life.
Not far from our home, an 11-year-old boy was playing near a rising creek when he slipped and fell, succumbing to the rushing waters. Despite the pain, the family has walked with God through the unimaginable loss.
In the same metropolitan area, a man attended church faithfully, never able to experience true faith in Jesus. Aware of the family's horrific loss and observing them in the aftermath, the man ultimately accepted Christ as his Savior. The family who lost their son attended the man’s baptism nearly one year after their son died.
Tragedy does not always reap eternal significance in ways we can see or know. Today, we have the luxury of comprehending Christ’s death and resurrection, even as many in Christ’s day were confused by it (Luke 24:13–27). Choosing to honor Christ and his ways in the midst of hardship is one way we can promote some sense of redemption in what we face, even if we never understand it. Responding, through Christ’s strength, in a way contrary to what others expect shifts the spotlight. Instead of focusing on what has seemingly gone wrong, God’s grace may be put on display before a watching world.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
📖 Read:
🔍 Reflect:
- Think about a time when life took an unexpected turn. How did you initially respond?
- How have your hardships shaped your faith or helped you grow spiritually?
- Do you find it easy or difficult to trust that God is working behind the scenes, even when you can’t see it?
🙏 Pray:
Father, when life surprises me with challenges, help me to look for Your hand at work. Strengthen my faith so that I can trust in Your goodness, even when circumstances seem difficult. Teach me to rely on You in every season and to use my struggles as opportunities to grow closer to You. Amen.
