Hardships. Trials. Pain. Unless you subscribe to the particular brand of Christianity that purports true faith reveals itself in God-bestowed private jets, mansions, and perfect health until the day God takes you up like Enoch, these are words you likely understand all too well.  As Christ said so matter-of-factly to the disciples, in the world we have tribulation (John 16:33b). It isn't a question of if, but of when. Whether it's persecution or just the universal struggles that afflict every person in a fallen world (rain falls on the just and unjust alike, does it not?), life will bring us difficulties and pain.

Lately, I keep hearing the same adage coming out of the mouths of fellow Christians regarding trials, that our faith grows the most during times of suffering and adversity. Maybe I'm just primed to notice this expression or maybe I'm hanging out with a lot of down-and-out people; I'm not really sure. However, it has caused me to pause and consider: is that really true? Do we really grow the most in hard times?

The Bible is rife with imagery comparing the faithful and righteous to flourishing plants and trees. Any gardener can tell you that plants and trees thrive and show the greatest growth under ideal conditions. For the largest plants, lushest leaves,  and juiciest fruit, plants need just the right amount of sunlight and water, as well as fertile soil with just the right pH level, free from weeds, etc.  Sure, plants can still grow, flower and bear fruit in less than ideal conditions, even in poor conditions, but the greatest growth occurs in the most favorable environments.

Many a sermon has invoked the taproot to illustrate how trials and difficulty can cause growth in the faith life of a Christian. Taproots are a specific type of root found in certain plants and trees (but not all), which go straight down, deep into the soil, enabling the plant to withstand wind, drought, and other harsh conditions. In some cases, taproots may grow deeper during times of drought, searching for a water source. This can result in the plant becoming more resilient and thus likelier to survive future droughts. To be sure, hardiness is an excellent trait, perhaps a necessary one in the life of a Christian, but it is a completely different phenomenon than growth.

Trials and hardships are a testing of our faith.  As it says in James 1: 2-3: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” Like with the taproot, these trials can make us sturdier Christians, better able to withstand further difficulties in the future. But tests don't produce growth; tests function to reveal our current state and show us just how much we can, or cannot, handle.

I think an idea has been perpetuated throughout Christian communities that times of ease are detrimental to our faith, causing us to become complacent or even lukewarm. Yes, sometimes people do drift away from God when they are comfortable. But, for all those who become lukewarm when things are easy, there are just as many people turning their backs on God in anger when tragedy and suffering strikes. What doesn't kill you doesn't always make you stronger; sometimes it weakens you until the next wave finishes you off. Hardship only results in resiliency if you go through it with the right attitude, looking to God to sustain you.

The “Good Times” have gotten a bad rap, and it is time for us to stop. It may make it easier to deal with difficult periods in our lives if we promote them as the best times for Christian growth, but this is not their place and furthermore, it is far from accurate. When things are going well and it seems like everything is fitting into place, when you feel comfortable, when spiritually, your cup is overflowing---- this is when you grow. Embrace these times of refreshing and flourish in them. Afflictions will come, as they are an unfortunate byproduct of living in a sinful world. While God can and does use them for our good, this is not where we thrive, it is where we endure, and where we prove what we gained in the previous season of growth.

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<em>Photo credit: Lydur Skulason</em>

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