For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

Hebrews 12: 11-13

Life isn’t always easy, is it? And life around the Holidays can be especially challenging at times. Yesterday I heard from an old friend who is struggling a bit with her state in life at the moment and as I type, I am reminded of a couple of other friends who are facing difficult days in the coming weeks. Two of my friends are strong believers, the other is not.

Some people go into the furnace of life’s difficulties and are burned or consumed, while others are strengthened through the experience. What’s the difference? Honestly, we all face discouragement from time to time, but as the writer of Hebrews reminds us, trouble if often cause when the “root of bitterness springs up in our lives (Hebrews 12:15)?”

Resentment cuts you off from others. While grace leads to unity and reconciliation, bitterness and anger lead to isolation. Because when you’re bitter, you separate yourself from whoever has wronged you. And so you’re left alone to wallow in your situation. But, the author of Hebrews reminds us that the trials of life can bring us to a better place, for those “who have been trained by it.”

So, is our difficulty training us for good or are we feeding the root of resentment?

We can face our discouragement with hope for the future that leads to a closeness with God resulting in a reflection of his holiness in our lives and in the end we’ll experience the revelation of what all our trials have meant as we shine our lights through our lives to the others around us.

Which attitude will we choose? It will make a world of difference in our lives.