Testing

There are days when nothing seems to go right.  The computer is slow or non-responsive; a needed phone number can't be found; the wind blows over  several flower pots, spilling dirt all over the porch; an appointment is forgotten and missed...on and on it can go.  These may be little obstructions in the grand scheme of things, but they get under our skin and bring out the worst in us.  But as in the training of newcomers to any field, it is the little things that count, that prepare us for the bigger things. Most of us are not familiar, except by hearsay, of the intense training candidates for the Navy Seals face;  We imagine the most grueling of tests, and for sure, most of what they do is far beyond the reach of most of us.  But among the torturous ordeals they face for six months, making their beds properly stands out first and foremost.  Their day begins with inspection of their correctly made bed.  What does that have to do with fighting an enemy deep in the jungle?   It's the attention to this little thing that when all else has gone wrong during the day, the mission, at least the soldier can look back and say, "I did one thing right today!" 
The days when things don't go right are the testing days for us, not to torture us cruelly, but to prepare us for the greater challenges, perhaps even our life-work. Remembering the goodness and kindness of God, we can come to the realization that he's always looking out for our greater good, and find the fortitude to deal with these little testings.
Bro. Rene