Kyle and Alicia strolled down the beach, hand in hand. “I’m so glad we were able to get away,” Alicia said.

“Yeah. It’s been a tough year.” Kyle squeezed her hand.

“It has. I feel like God has forgotten about us.”

“Oh, Babe, don’t ever think that. God is always with us, even when things are tough.”
            Alicia turned toward Kyle. “If that’s true, why does He let so many bad things happen? It was bad enough when Ella got sick, but with me losing my job and then the lawsuit, it’s overwhelming. And your job has been so stressful lately. It’s just one thing after another.”

Kyle was silent for a moment as they continued their stroll. The waves crashed beside them and the gulls squawked overhead. The sun sparkled on the water. It truly was a beautiful day, but Alicia was right. They had a lot on their minds. How could he encourage his wife? He sent up a silent prayer for wisdom.

“Oh, look!  Sea glass!” Alicia released Kyle’s hand and bent down to pick it up. The pale greenish-blue glass reflected the sunlight. Alicia rubbed the smooth surface with her hand. “It’s so pretty.”

Kyle blinked. God had answered his prayer so quickly and completely. This was how he could make Alicia understand what God was doing. “Do you know what sea glass is?” Kyle asked.

“Isn’t it just broken glass worn smooth by the ocean?” Alicia asked.

“It is,” Kyle said. “But imagine our lives are like that glass. We started out as an intact bottle and thought everything was fine. Then the bottle broke when Ella got sick.”

Alicia frowned, staring across the water. “I never thought of it that way, but you’re right. Life is so fragile. I never imagined our happy, healthy little girl would ever be given such a scary diagnosis. Once that happened, I felt broken and alone. I worried about losing her forever.”

“But the surgery was successful, and now she’s having a blast getting spoiled by her grandparents while we’re away for the weekend. So yes, at the time, we felt broken, but thank God, we didn’t lose her.”

“I know. And that puts a lot of the other problems into perspective,” Alicia said. “But I still don’t see how we’re like sea glass.”

“God took the broken pieces of our lives and shaped them. Just like the broken pieces of glass are pounded by the sand and the waves to smooth the rough edges, God allows trials in our lives to shape us.”
            “It seems kind of mean to me,” Alicia muttered. She turned from the ocean and continued strolling down the beach. Kyle stood, watching his young bride, praying silently for God to help him reach her. The wind blew strands of hair loose from her ponytail and she tucked them behind her ear. She turned back towards him and smiled. Kyle’s breath caught. With the sunlight glinting off her hair, she’d never looked more beautiful. The trials they’d been through this year had deepened his love for her, something he hadn’t thought possible when they were first married four years ago. Kyle moved to catch up with Alicia.

“God isn’t mean,” Kyle said. “How do you think Ella is doing now?”

“She’s great,” Alicia said.

“And how do you think you are as a mother, having been through that?”

“I’m absolutely a better mother,” Alicia said. “I only focus on the most important things now.”

“And how do you think our marriage is doing after all of this?”

Alicia reached out for Kyle’s hand and squeezed it. “I feel closer to you than ever. You’ve been my rock to lean on through all of this.”

Kyle planted a kiss on the top of her head. “And you’ve been my support system. Having you at home has made everything else easier to deal with. My point is, Babe, that God allowed all these trials in our lives to shape us into better people. I’m a better husband and a better father because of what we’ve been through. And the other day at work, one of my coworkers asked me how I was able to deal with so much and still have a positive attitude, and I was able to talk to him about my faith. If I were still an intact bottle floating along, never having any difficulties, I wouldn’t be able to reach anyone. And if I didn’t allow God to smooth my rough edges, I wouldn’t be much help to anyone either.”

“I never thought about it that way,” Alicia said. She kicked off her flip flops and dug her toes in the sand, then reached up and wrapped her arms around Kyle’s neck. “I guess God cares about us after all.”

James 1:2-4

 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Dear Lord, You never promised this life would be easy. We live in a fallen world, full of trials. But You promise never to leave us or forsake us, and You give good gifts to Your children. When we fall into trials, they are because You have allowed them. As we go through these difficult times, help us to learn and grow and become closer to You. Thank You for giving us strength and encouragement. Please help us to encourage others as they go through trials of their own. In Jesus’s name, Amen.