Article June 24, 1985 Issue

Opportunities for spiritual growth

DIANE STAUNTON STAPLES

No human life is entirely devoid of problems. Even Christ Jesus, the best of all men, was beset by hostility and attempts to end his mission. His mastering of these problems is part of the example he has set for all of us. The earliest Christians certainly did not find their lives to be always easy. Paul, for example, encountered many difficulties during his ministry, and he overcame each of them.^{See II Cor. 11:24–27 .}

Christian Scientists, like others, find problems arising from time to time. Occasionally these may occur even when they think they have been studying and living Christian Science to the very best of their ability. In cases like this I have found it helpful to look at a difficult situation not as a "problem" in the negative sense of that word, but as an opportunity to show what I have learned of God and His goodness—an occasion similar to the tests we were given in school as part of our lessons. It's a time for me to find out whether or not I have understood what I have been studying.

Instead of lamenting, "Why is this happening to me?" I find it much more encouraging to say to myself, "Oh, this is a 'test.' And I'm going to pass it!" Approaching a problem in this way defuses the negative elements that would include feelings of discouragement or injustice. Instead, we can tackle the challenge with interest, eager to prove to ourselves how much we've really learned. Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves."^{II Cor. 13:5.} Challenges that arise in our lives give us the opportunity to do just that.