Slow Cooker.

No one ever said being a Christian would be easy. Actually, Jesus said quite the opposite. He told us that there would be suffering.

It's not that I forgot this. Or that I want to give up on my faith. I just wanted to fix all my problems by myself. God is probably laughing at me...

"Are we patient? We and the world will only know it if our patience is tested. Are we loving? It will not be seen until we are confronted with hatred. Are we full of faith? There's no evidence until circumstances dictate against it. Every fruit of the Spirit is latent within us until its antithesis appears."

Job talks about being tested, and going through trials. In chapter 23, he says, "When He has tested me, I will come forth as gold." We can't run from trials. We have to be still, and let God work through us. And then shine.

Obviously, the hardest part of trials, is that time right in the middle of them. And it's because of something a lot of people lack - perseverance. James tells us that through perseverance, we gain maturity and completeness. Trials are the only way to grow.

I love this quote, "We're not accustomed to pains that can't be relieved and problems that can't be corrected. When they come, we send up prayers with almost the same expectation as when we press the buttons on our microwave. A few seconds, we think, and we should be done with it. God doesn't usually work that way. He is thorough and precise, and He will not be rushed."

We bought a slow cooker and expected it to be a microwave.

Instead of asking for deliverance in trials, we should look for the benefit, endure the pain, and ask God what He's accomplishing and participate it in willingly.