How God Uses Life's Problems

I read this on a message board and wanted to post it here.

Here are five ways God wants to use the problems in your life:


God uses problems to DIRECT you. Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention?

Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways.
~Proverbs 20:30

God uses problems to INSPECT you. People are like tea bags. If you want to know what's inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God ever tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you?

When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.
~James 1:2-3

God uses problems to CORRECT you. Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It's likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something, health, money and a relationship. By losing it.

It was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws.
~Psalm 119:71-72

God uses problems to PROTECT you. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. Last year a friend was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem - but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when management's actions were eventually discovered.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.
~Genesis 50:20

God uses problems to PERFECT you. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you're going to take with you into eternity.

We can rejoice when we run into problems they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of Character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it; until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.
~Romans 5:3-4

How God Uses Life's Problems

I read this on a message board and wanted to post it here.

Here are five ways God wants to use the problems in your life:


God uses problems to DIRECT you. Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention?

Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways.
~Proverbs 20:30

God uses problems to INSPECT you. People are like tea bags. If you want to know what's inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God ever tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you?

When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.
~James 1:2-3

God uses problems to CORRECT you. Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It's likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something, health, money and a relationship. By losing it.

It was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws.
~Psalm 119:71-72

God uses problems to PROTECT you. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. Last year a friend was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem - but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when management's actions were eventually discovered.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.
~Genesis 50:20

God uses problems to PERFECT you. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you're going to take with you into eternity.

We can rejoice when we run into problems they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of Character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it; until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.
~Romans 5:3-4

Day of Blog Silence

On April 30, 2007, there will be a one day of blog silence in honor of the victims of the VA Tech tragedy. Hat tip to Ironic Catholic.

Day of Blog Silence

On April 30, 2007, there will be a one day of blog silence in honor of the victims of the VA Tech tragedy. Hat tip to Ironic Catholic.

A Clarification

In reading over some posts, and being rightfully called on the carpet by some posters, I wanted to clarify the issue of mental illness vs. evil in the VA Tech shootings. Here is my position as clearly as I can explain it.

Evil exists. As a Catholic, I believe that God exists, and, so does evil.

But, as a mental illness advocate and consumer, I firmly believe that mental illness certainly exists and has nothing (in general) to do with evil. Mental illness is a brain disorder and by definition, causes various behaviors.

There are situations where an otherwise "sane" (read, non-mentally ill) person commits horrible atrocities. It is in those situations that it is easiest to see the work of evil.

But, the fact that evil exists, does not, by definition mean that the person committing those horrible acts cannot suffer from mental illness.

Mental illness does not preclude intelligence--it often accompanies it. People who suffer from mental illness are quite capable of planning and forethought in many cases. The fact that an act is planned, does not mean the perpetrator does not suffer from mental illness.

Mental illness is physical and for the most part, treatable.

In trying to balance my belief in the medical model of mental illness with my belief in the existence of evil, I missed the boat. For that, I apologize.

A Clarification

In reading over some posts, and being rightfully called on the carpet by some posters, I wanted to clarify the issue of mental illness vs. evil in the VA Tech shootings. Here is my position as clearly as I can explain it.

Evil exists. As a Catholic, I believe that God exists, and, so does evil.

But, as a mental illness advocate and consumer, I firmly believe that mental illness certainly exists and has nothing (in general) to do with evil. Mental illness is a brain disorder and by definition, causes various behaviors.

There are situations where an otherwise "sane" (read, non-mentally ill) person commits horrible atrocities. It is in those situations that it is easiest to see the work of evil.

But, the fact that evil exists, does not, by definition mean that the person committing those horrible acts cannot suffer from mental illness.

Mental illness does not preclude intelligence--it often accompanies it. People who suffer from mental illness are quite capable of planning and forethought in many cases. The fact that an act is planned, does not mean the perpetrator does not suffer from mental illness.

Mental illness is physical and for the most part, treatable.

In trying to balance my belief in the medical model of mental illness with my belief in the existence of evil, I missed the boat. For that, I apologize.

Here's why

Marie, over at View from the Pews, has an excellent post on the "why" of the VA Tech tragedy. Basically, there is no "why" without accounting for evil in the equation. Unless the man was truly delusional, she points out, on some level, he chose to do what he did. It was certainly premeditated. It was definitely done without any thought to the identity of the victims.

As I commented to Marie on her blog post, I think I grasped at the mental illness explanation for two reasons. First, it is the label the media is putting out. That is their "why". The fact that the media is saying or implying that his emotional state, or whatever (so far unnamed) medication he may have been on, is responsible for these killings, should not be a reason to embrace that explanation. I rant about the media on here quite enough to have known better.

The second reason I began to embrace the mental illness label though, is one of raw hope. I, like everyone else, want there to be a way of preventing this type of thing from happening in the future. We look for scapegoats. The administration, the police--*someone* should have done something.

Well, someone did do something. Liviu Librescu was a 76 year old engineering professor at Virginia Tech. Long past retirement age, he continued doing what he loved. As a Holocaust survivor, he knew that evil exists and he had the presence of mind to move against it any way he could. Knowing that shootings were taking place in his building, he physically blocked the door to allow students to escape through the window, knowing that the shooter could shoot him through the door, which is exactly what happened. Liviu Librescu is being buried today in Israel.

Here's why

Marie, over at View from the Pews, has an excellent post on the "why" of the VA Tech tragedy. Basically, there is no "why" without accounting for evil in the equation. Unless the man was truly delusional, she points out, on some level, he chose to do what he did. It was certainly premeditated. It was definitely done without any thought to the identity of the victims.

As I commented to Marie on her blog post, I think I grasped at the mental illness explanation for two reasons. First, it is the label the media is putting out. That is their "why". The fact that the media is saying or implying that his emotional state, or whatever (so far unnamed) medication he may have been on, is responsible for these killings, should not be a reason to embrace that explanation. I rant about the media on here quite enough to have known better.

The second reason I began to embrace the mental illness label though, is one of raw hope. I, like everyone else, want there to be a way of preventing this type of thing from happening in the future. We look for scapegoats. The administration, the police--*someone* should have done something.

Well, someone did do something. Liviu Librescu was a 76 year old engineering professor at Virginia Tech. Long past retirement age, he continued doing what he loved. As a Holocaust survivor, he knew that evil exists and he had the presence of mind to move against it any way he could. Knowing that shootings were taking place in his building, he physically blocked the door to allow students to escape through the window, knowing that the shooter could shoot him through the door, which is exactly what happened. Liviu Librescu is being buried today in Israel.

We have failed as a society

We are failing our mentally ill. The masacre at Virginia Tech and its horrifying aftermath has shown us that, as a society, we are putting the "rights" of people with severe mental illnesses to remain untreated ahead of the safety of our citizenry at large. The pendulum has swung too far and 33 people have paid the ultimate price.

Most people who suffer from mental illnesses are not a danger to themselves or others. Those people have a right to be supported and integrated into society at every level. There are those, however, who shows clear signs of violent tendancies which should never be ignored, especially at the institutional level. There were many incidences where the VA Tech killer showed signs that he was violently unstable and steps should have been taken to keep him away from the college community and to keep weapons out of his hands.

We have failed as a society

We are failing our mentally ill. The masacre at Virginia Tech and its horrifying aftermath has shown us that, as a society, we are putting the "rights" of people with severe mental illnesses to remain untreated ahead of the safety of our citizenry at large. The pendulum has swung too far and 33 people have paid the ultimate price.

Most people who suffer from mental illnesses are not a danger to themselves or others. Those people have a right to be supported and integrated into society at every level. There are those, however, who shows clear signs of violent tendancies which should never be ignored, especially at the institutional level. There were many incidences where the VA Tech killer showed signs that he was violently unstable and steps should have been taken to keep him away from the college community and to keep weapons out of his hands.

Tragedy in Virginia

As of this writing, more than 30 people have been killed by a lone gunman at Virginia Technical Institute in the United States.

Please pray for the victims, their families, alumni, and all who have been touched by this tragedy.

Tragedy in Virginia

As of this writing, more than 30 people have been killed by a lone gunman at Virginia Technical Institute in the United States.

Please pray for the victims, their families, alumni, and all who have been touched by this tragedy.