Why is this happening to me?

This is the question that many people ask over and over again . I thnk that a lot of times Christians have the most trouble understanding why God makes us go through so many hardships and struggles. In the same way, non-Christians look at us thinking we are complete idiots for putting our whole lives in the hands of this "God" who allows things like natural disasters to kill thousands of people or tragedies such as 9/11 to happen. I was once asked this question by a non-Christian and I honestly had no clue what to say. I quickly found out that saying thinkgs like "all you neeed is faith" doesnt really mean anything to athiests. Now I realize that it is these hardships that build character. We are filled with hope and perserverance. Even just the small things build us up and bring us closer to Him. On a much larger scale, things such as September 11 and Huricane Katrina did this same thing. Not to one individual, but to millions of people across the world. Although I was only about 10 years old when our country was attacked the thing I vividly remember is how much everyone suddenly cared for each other and how much unity there was among us. Because for those few weeks, just that day, or maybe even a moment, we werent millions of people or 50 states, we were one nation and that how we wer founded so thats the way its suposed to be. For once people could talk about God without the fear of being sued for all they were worth.
James 1: 2-4 says: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trial of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance. Perserverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complet, not lacking anything." So the next time ou are going through ar hard time and you think that it cant get any worse, remember that you are building yourself. You are building yourself through perserverance to become stronger and ultimatly closer to Christ, the one who gives you your every breath.
~*Elizabeth
first written: 1/9/08