Find a comfortable position.
Allow your hands to rest naturally.
If it helped.
Gently close your eyes.
Take a slow breath in.
And breathe out.
Again,
Breathe in.
Receiving this moment as it is.
And breathe out.
Releasing what you don't need to carry right now.
As your breathing settles.
Remember these words from Romans 5.
We rejoice in our suffering.
Knowing that suffering produces endurance.
Endurance produces character.
And character produces hope.
Bring to mind a hardship you're facing.
Or simply the reality that life includes suffering.
You don't need to solve or fix it right now.
Just notice it.
Before God's presence.
Now think of some of the people you've watched walk through suffering.
Some have responded with bitterness.
Some with courage.
Some withdrew,
Some became more compassionate.
You've seen that hardship doesn't always determine a person's character.
It often reveals and shapes it.
Pause with that thought.
Then ask yourself.
How do I want to respond?
Not how do I feel today,
But.
.
.
Who is God inviting me to become through this?
Imagine placing your hardship into Christ's hands.
Hearing his invitation from Matthew 11,
28,
Come to me,
All you who labor and are heavy laden,
And I will give you rest.
We don't have to pretend that suffering is good.
But we can choose how we need it.
Maybe ask yourself,
Do I want this trial to make me more patient?
More forgiving.
More faithful.
More compassionate or empathetic toward others who suffer.
More dependent on Christ than my own strength.
Take another slow breath.
Picture Jesus on the cross.
He responded to injustice,
Not with hatred,
But with forgiveness.
He met suffering with love,
Trusting the Father,
Even when his path.
It was painful.
Through his suffering and death came redemption.
Say this prayer quietly.
Lord Jesus.
I cannot always choose my circumstances.
But by your grace,
I can choose my response.
God,
Form your character within me.
When hardship inevitably comes,
Keep my heart soft instead of hard.
Faithful instead of fearful.
Hopeful instead of cynical,
Help me to respond in a way that reflects you.
So that others may see your love through my life.
Rest for a few moments in silence.
And as you prepare to continue your day,
Carry this question with you.
Today,
Whatever comes.
How can I respond in a way that looks more like Christ?
Take one final deep breath in.
And slowly breathe out.
Open your eyes when you're ready.
Trusting that God is at work not only in your circumstances.
But also in the person he is shaping you to become.
