Have you visited the Billy Graham Training Center outside Asheville, North Carolina? You’d be hard-pressed to find a better place for retreat, relaxation, and renewal.
Ruth and Billy chose the location well, tucked as it is onto a peaceful Appalachian mountainside.
My husband and I visited years ago and reveled in five days of morning-and-evening teaching sessions under Warren Wiersbe. The afternoons were unscheduled—for the relaxation part.
One day we decided to tackle a long trail-hike and walk off some of the scrumptious food (and nightly, all-you-can-eat soft-serve ice cream!) we’d been consuming.
A staff member promised the mountain view from the lookout point at the end would be well worth the effort.
But in no time the hike became rough going. The miles we were accustomed to walking back home in the flatland of Florida hadn’t prepared us for the unrelenting incline of this trail.
I started to grunt and groan. My leg muscles begged for mercy until we had to stop and rest—several times.
For the entire distance trees surrounded us—lovely to be sure, but not once did we catch even a glimpse of the vista to come.
Finally we approached the rail of the platform lookout, and my grunts and groans turned to oohing and wowing.
Row upon row of gentle peaks stood sentry before us, stretching immeasurable miles to the horizon. Cumulous clouds above produced large patches of shade below—a jigsaw of light and shadow.
The staffer had been right. To see such a grand panorama of God’s handiwork was indeed worth the struggle.
“God has made everything beautiful in his time,” King Solomon wrote (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
“Everything beautiful” certainly includes the splendorous moments on that platform, especially in contrast to the arduous process to get there.
But equally wondrous, God knows how to create beauty out of difficult life-circumstances—circumstances like:
- A disturbing diagnosis
- Ongoing frustration at work
- A hurtful relationship
- Financial struggles
How can that be? Because those are the times that push us toward maturity (James 1:2-4)—and maturity is indeed a beautiful thing.
Our problem is, we crave a smooth pathway through life—level, broad, and full of pleasure. But God knows what spoiled, useless creatures we’d become on such a course.
So he allows uphill climbs as the training ground for developing patience, perseverance, persistence, and self-discipline—important facets of maturity.
All the while we can rest assured the day will come when we finally understand how our ugly struggles fit into God’s great and beautiful plan—“a plan so overwhelming, magnificent, and joyful, we will laugh with wonder and delight”—Arthur Christopher Bacon (1).
And how do we know that’s true?
Consider God’s attributes, including his
- Love and faithfulness (Psalm 117:2)
- Wisdom (Romans 11:33)
- Rghteousness (Psalm 145:17)
- Justice and fairness (Deuteronomy 32:4)
Such a God does not allow useless distress; there is always purpose.
And note the verse says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
Every detail of your life
is fitting together to create
a tapestry of praise.
–Jane L. Fryar (2)
Sometimes we do see the details of our lives fitting together in beautiful, praise-evoking ways.
Our stories of struggle-turned-into-beauty can:
- Inspire someone to start their own journey with Jesus
- Offer comfort to another who’s struggling on the same stretch of pathway
- Provide guidance for a wanderer
- Encourage a hiker-believer to keep climbing to the heights
But I have a feeling God is saving the best and most beautiful revelations until we’ve reached the lookout of heaven.
For now we can cling to this:
All things are from him—for a purpose (Romans 11:33-36), and we will behold the beauty—when the time is right.
Notes:
- From Streams in the Desert, edited by Jim Reimann, Zondervan, 1997, p. 72.
- Be Blessed, CTA, Inc., 2009, p. 60.
Photo credits: http://www.thecove.org; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.wikipedia.org; http://www.bible.com; http://www.canva.com; http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.maxpixel.net.
From the Inside Out 