May 1

“For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD. But whoever fails to find me harms himself…”  —PROVERBS 8:35-36

Our bad experiences in life often become our best teachers. While we enjoy the good times and look back on them fondly, most of the pivotal points in our lives are born out of difficult experiences. King Solomon’s life is a prime example. He compiled a portion of the book of Proverbs from many of his experiences, both good and bad. It’s full of down to earth wisdom; heavenly in its origin, but earthly in its application. 

Hard experiences happen to us. It’s part of the journey we call life, and while God blessed Solomon with the gift of wisdom, there were periods of his life when he lived foolishly. His insatiable lust for women had been his downfall. Influenced by his many wives and concubines, he began worshipping heathen gods and fell away from the God of his youth.

Both good and bad experiences lie at the source of Solomon’s wisdom. In his old age, he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes which tells of a life lived with God and a life lived without God, both of which he had experienced. He arrives at the conclusion that life is meaningless, utterly meaningless when lived apart from our Creator. Before we are tempted to stray away from God, he wisely tells us from his own experience, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Solomon lives and learns hard lessons through wisdom and folly; through victory and defeat. 

Regardless of how bereft or empty our choices have left us, God will always provide a way back to Him. Sometimes He’ll allow us to reach the end of our rope, so that we come to realize our utter dependence on Him. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life”, and we can never reach a point where that isn’t true for us. Don’t waste our mistakes. God has much to teach us through difficulties, disobedience and failure. 

While we naturally prefer the good times, the reality is that spiritual growth often happens best in the hard times, and we come to learn far more from our tears than we did from our laughter.

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, we live in the midst of a very secular world where temptation is all around us. Help me never to stray from You, but if I do, bring me back, and help me to learn from my mistakes. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: What has God taught me in some of the more challenging times of my life?