Pressure Molds Character

The Lord is after your heart.

5/9/2026

“Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials.” James 1:2 (NASB)

What? You’ve got to be joking! I tend to gloss over verses like these, because I hold too tightly to American ideals of independence and comfort. “The land of the free,” “the pursuit of happiness,” “the land of opportunity.”

I have an aversion to pain and discomfort. I much prefer when everything runs smoothly. Under pressure, I just want to escape. Get rid of the migraine. Resolve the conflict. Solve the problem. Let’s get on with the happy life.

It’s taken a long time to accept the truth of the Scripture that trials are good for me. Now I’m learning to lean into the fact that the Lord uses these pain points to develop strength.

God’s way of refining is better. He’s forming a people with grit and resolve. I didn’t realize how deeply He would work in my soul through the pressing of circumstances around me.

Like a potter with clay, the Lord designs and forms us through squeezing, pushing, pulling, and even cutting. He works with purpose using each circumstance with great attention to teach and refine. This might surprise you. But God isn’t worried about the mess in the process.

The Lord is after your heart.

You have a choice. Turn to Jesus, or away from Him. Embrace the struggle in order to become a better you. Or, sink into bitterness and disillusionment, sliding into a sinkhole of despair.

Reject the idol of comfort. Rather than search for the way out, look to the Savior who leads you through the imperfect process.

Pressure molds character. It may not be ideal. It might even be messy. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and you’ll find a deeper faith and maturity on the other side.

Living Devoted,