1 Peter 4:12-14

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

It’s good for us to get a glimpse of what life was like for Christians in the beginning years of the Church. While they were fired up by the good news of the gospel there were also fiery ordeals for them to endure. Peter refers to those occasions as being times of testing.

What we forget sometimes is that those moments still happen for followers of Jesus. We are not immune to injustice and acts of cruel insensitivity. And often life just isn’t very fair! Children and parents can disappoint us, and we certainly don’t anticipate the twists and turns that are a part of the aging process. Even our congregations can become a testing ground for our faith–it’s uncanny how nasty people of faith can be to each other! A loving community can transition into a caldron of vicious rumors and gossip in a heartbeat.

Peter seems to indicate that we should not be surprised when such things take place and brokenness comes knocking on our doors. That’s how it is in our good world. All people are broken and we are fools to think we’re not going to be affected. But Peter implies that those tough moments are when faith can become stronger than ever. We could even think of them as blessings!

Thought for the Day: What “fiery ordeals” have tested my faith?