1 Peter 4:13 NLT
Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world.
A true gardener at heart, there was nothing Lydia loved more than tending to her little balcony garden. One stormy night, a fierce hailstorm hit the city destroying every plant overnight. Her garden lay in ruins. Heartsick, she almost gave up, but an older neighbour, brought her a packet of night-blooming jasmine seeds. “Plant these,” he smiled, “They release their fragrance in the deep of night.” Lydia did. Weeks later, when the city slept, her balcony filled with a sweet scent carried on the breeze. The nights she dreaded became the backdrop for something beautiful she would have never known otherwise.
Peter’s words mirror Lydia’s experience. Suffering feels like an unwanted hailstorm, but Christ meets us there and can transform loss into a special aroma if we let Him. We don’t have to endure suffering alone. Jesus offers companionship today. Will you respond to him? Can you maintain a position of trust in your heart when faced with challenging situations? Inject a dose of faith today in remembrance that His love never fails you.
Each hardship can work like those jasmine seeds: pressure and hardships can break open resilience. Peter points us forward to the future, encouraging us to dive deeper in trust with our faith in Jesus. One day Jesus will return. It will be the end to all hardship, grief and pain. We who continue to fix our eyes on Jesus will see Him and His radiant glory.
In the meantime, you can name your “hailstorm” on paper and pray in faith: “Jesus, plant joy here.” Today, quietly serve someone else. Shared suffering often shrinks when we lift another. Tonight, step outside for two minutes. Breathe deep and thank God that darkness is never wasted in His economy.
