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Introduction

In our lifetime, we will all experience an assortment of trials, both large and small. At times, come to us mysteriously, quietly dropping with a whisper into our subconscious. At others, they confront us with a loud scream. Often they invade our minds through the radio while driving to work. Or they can take on profound personal significance in a variety of shapes and sizes:

•A phone call informing you that a beloved family member is ill.

•Your boss telling you that your services are no longer needed.

•A letter outlining why you were not accepted into that college at which you were hoping to study.

•Your doctor’s voice suggesting that surgery is needed immediately.

•Your spouse telling you that it is over.

•Your teenaged child’s behaviour, changed from a pleasant presence into a bitter and depressed person whom you do not recognize.

This list can go on and on, testifying to the unavoidable reality that trials and tribulations are here to stay. We have all faced them. Many are dealing with them right now. We can all expect them in the future. Life truly is a struggle.

As I get older, I find that I am forced to deal with more and more trials. It seems that I am increasingly shaped by the struggles I face. However, as I stumble through life, tripping over many obstacles and making far too many mistakes, I have discovered a wonderful and comforting secret. I am beginning to understand that these trials are opportunities for personal growth. Though I am no longer a child, I now realize that I never stop growing as an adult, and the main instrument God uses to shape my being are His tools of trials and tribulations. My problems, in the hands of God, are mighty instruments He can use to refine me into becoming progressively more what He created me to be. I have discovered the truth of James’ words when he wrote:

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (James 1:2-4, The Message)

God is at work in me, freeing me to be all that He created me to be. The same can be said for you. This is why we can take comfort in knowing that every trial and tribulation we face opens the door to the possibility of being released from all the encumbrances and dross that has prevented us from becoming the incredible people God already sees us to be. He has created us with immense value, purpose and ability. However, the reason the “real us” hasn’t been loosed is because we have imprisoned this true self in a hard shell of pride, weakness, selfishness and fear. Through life’s struggles, God slowly chips away at these prison bars. Tribulations can become His hammer that breaks the chains and bars we have erected, keeping our very souls in captivity.

This book is about discovering the real you through the trials of life. As you read it, it is important to know that it is based on truths experienced in the fiery furnace of life. It is a challenge for you to accept the inevitability of suffering and to allow it to shape who you truly are deep within your soul. Though this book documents my real-life tragedies, it is an encouragement and demonstration of the love of God as evidenced in how He is involved in shaping our lives. We are not yet a finished product. Far from it. However, we are getting closer to completion because of the trials that we experience.

Great wisdom is often birthed from tragedy. It seems that God allows us to learn His most precious truths only from the depths of our own personal despair. In these pages, I share insights that I discovered during the darkest period of my life in which my family and I faced three seemingly insurmountable tragedies within nine months. The timeline of this book begins with the first two tragedies, and ends with the catastrophe that took place when we were on a sabbatical in Hawaii. It was in a state of complete physical, emotional and spiritual brokenness that I was able to invite God into my situation and into my year of heartbreak. From this vantage point, I was able to reflect on the past and was forced to meet with God in solitude. It was there that God impacted my life like never before.

It is in the eye of the storm, in the midst of disappointment, that you can experience the beauty of God who turns trials into gold. These times are what I call “beautiful disappointments,” where God reveals Himself to us in powerful, life-changing ways! My prayer for you while you read this book is that it will encourage you to never give up and to embrace your circumstances. God has wonderful plans for you—if you let Him lead and comfort.

– Rev. Colin McCartney