I got home from work pretty late this evening. I installed some movie poster frames at a friend's theater and figured it should only take a few hours. After eight hours of grief, frustration, and intermittent anger, I felt really really good about how it all ended.

This job had been a headache from the beginning. These simple frames should have been easy, but they took forever and were oddly complicated. Everything from beginning to end took twice as long as they should have.!

At 8:30 pm I stood back, took a look at the finished product and smiled. Feelings of accomplishment, pride, and satisfaction pushed all the negative stuff aside. I thought of the verse in Romans that says, "we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." This verse never popped into my mind when I felt like throwing things...and that got me thinking!

Why do I always seem to wait until I'm 'outside' the suffering to rejoice? I know that God is faithful and that he always works things out, yet I set my sights short and focus on the problem at hand. Verses 4 and 5 tell me that 'because' I know suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope, my response when life gets miserable should be that of excitement and anticipation.

Father, teach me to look at you when life gets tough. Thank you for your promises and how you are constantly working on my character. Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may know you and continue to find favor in you!