There I was one day, my 13-year-old self, sitting on my couch playing Minecraft when the phone rang. I go over to the phone and answer it. A man is speaking very fast into the phone, something about my Dad? I have no idea who it is, and I cannot understand his broken English, so I give the phone to my Mom. Turns out, my Dad was run over by a truck while on his way to our new house in Northern Uganda. At this time, the rest of us were in Southern Uganda, in a city called Jinja. My Dad was taken up to Uganda’s capital city, Kampala, to got to the hospital. Long story short, we had to fly back to the US for advanced medical treatment because his skull was fractured, along with a couple more broken bones. He almost died. Eventually, he got better but was plagued with memory loss of a six-month period.

We all have our trials. For some of us it is big things, and for others it is small things. But I think we can all agree that everyone has some sort of trial in their lives. Many people seem to think that once you become a Christian, all your problems will float away. This is not only quite far from the truth but is also dangerous. Trials are God’s way of conditioning us to make us look more like Christ. Now, I know that if you are in the middle of something hard, that is the last thing you want to hear right now. But you can find straightforward evidence of this in the scriptures, such as in 1 Peter 1:6-7:

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ”. – 1 Peter 1:6-7 (KJV)

It says here that the church’s various trials, through the genuineness of their faith, would result in praise, glory, and honor. We often view hardships as something of Satan, but in reality, they are used to shape us. Now, Satan does try to get at us, like with Job, but you must remember that he needed God’s permission to even touch Job’s belongings. A Christian has special protection that no one else has. The Bible says it again in James 1:2-3:

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” – James 1:2-3

Here, James is even telling us to consider our trials as something joyous! He reminds us to keep in mind that our trials are a test of our faith, and that when we pass those tests, we gain endurance. So, we as Christians need hardships to come into our lives. We should be like, “Yes! Another opportunity to grow as a Christian!” Now do not get me wrong here. Even though I know this, I forget it sometimes (most of the time!). I am not advocating for perfection, just to keep this fact in mind.

I said earlier that for a Christian to believe that just because they are a Christian, their problems would go away is a dangerous thought. Believing that trials can only be from Satan, could possibly lead to questioning your faith. Our culture emphasizes the need to find the path of least resistance. We need to fight that urge to blame our hardships on God and realize that they are used for good.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

This is my favorite verse. All things are good for those who love God. Christians have a special assurance that whatever happens, we know it is all part of God’s overarching plan. We are but mere tools for His consumption. Not everyone is called to be on the frontlines, but every Christian is at God’s disposal. Things can happen anywhere, in the car, at home… I am not just meaning death, but also your health. In order to go to some places, such as a mission field somewhere without a hospital, you have to sacrifice your health. If you just remember that you are a tool for God’s purpose, you will not be afraid. We cannot know God’s plan for us, for other people, but we can know that for us Christians, no matter what happens, it is all a part of God’s plan.

Now back to my story at the beginning. I learned a lot through all of that, but what is important is that we came back to Uganda after it all. We have been here in Uganda for over a year now, and I still have 3 more years until college. Because of what happened, my family has learned to cope with problems much better (me included). Instead of running around when something serious happens, I guess that we are all better at keeping focused. And, looking back, I personally feel as though I grew closer to God through all of that. And if I had a choice to go back and somehow tell my Dad not to go on that trip, I wouldn’t. He healed, eventually, and what we gained is certainly worth more than the trouble it caused.