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My three month old daughter hates tummy time. But it's important for her development. She needs to crawl before she can walk. She wants to walk first though. She can push herself up to a standing position and when vertical, can move her legs. She doesn't have control over her balance yet and needs someone to hold her steady. But she much prefers being upright than facedown. Still, I make her lie down on her tummy and move her arms and legs to get used to the idea of crawling. And usually, she screams the entire time she's on her tummy. It's usually anywhere from 5-15 minutes. But while we're doing tummy time, she doesn't know how long she'll be on her tummy. She just knows she hates it. She doesn't care or understand that it's good for her, that it will help her development. Focused on the here and now, she is very very angry at having to do tummy time and lets me know in no uncertain terms how very displeased she is. And she also doesn't know how often she'll have to do this or when the next time will come. When it's over, I pick her up and comfort her. I give her a bottle and rock her and tell her how well she has done. She calms down, eventually. 
But still, the whole thing is hard for her.
I use this example to demonstrate how I imagine God deals with us. Our trials and tests are like tummy time. We don't like them. We don't know how long we will have to endure them. We don't know when the next one will come. Compared to God's knowledge and power, we are like infants. Indeed, He is often described as a Father and we, His people, as His children.
I want to walk before I can crawl. I say, I know what the Scriptures say. I know what God wants of me. I know how to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with Him. I love God. I love my neighbor. I follow His commands. I believe it to be righteousness to do so. And yet, how far short of the mark I have fallen. In trying to walk before I can crawl, I stumble and fall. The thing I wish to do, I do not. That which I hate and ought not to do, I do. Sin living inside me makes a mockery of my attempts at righteousness. But God is faithful.
He gives us trials and hardships to endure. If we stand firm through our trials, we are better for it. James 1:12. Life is never promised to be easy. Life is pain. Life is hard and often times not fair. We can but make the best of our situations. As Gandalf said, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
But still, the whole thing is hard for her. I use this example to demonstrate how I imagine God deals with us. Our trials and tests are like tummy time. We don't like them. We don't know how long we will have to endure them. We don't know when the next one will come. Compared to God's knowledge and power, we are like infants. Indeed, He is often described as a Father and we, His people, as His children.
I want to walk before I can crawl. I say, I know what the Scriptures say. I know what God wants of me. I know how to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with Him. I love God. I love my neighbor. I follow His commands. I believe it to be righteousness to do so. And yet, how far short of the mark I have fallen. In trying to walk before I can crawl, I stumble and fall. The thing I wish to do, I do not. That which I hate and ought not to do, I do. Sin living inside me makes a mockery of my attempts at righteousness. But God is faithful.
He gives us trials and hardships to endure. If we stand firm through our trials, we are better for it. James 1:12. Life is never promised to be easy. Life is pain. Life is hard and often times not fair. We can but make the best of our situations. As Gandalf said, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."