God's Washing Machine

He deserves not the name of patient who is only willing to suffer as much as he thinks proper.—Thomas a Kempis

I once heard a preacher explain how trials are like washing machines. You have to let the machine run its course in order for the clothes to be completely cleaned. No matter how badly you feel for the clothes as you watch them being spun around, soaked, and covered in soap, you don’t remove them from the machine until all the cycles are through.

Even so, no matter how tough it may be, you can’t remove yourself from God’s “washing machine” until He is through. It takes patience to accept God’s trials and wait on His timetable, yet it is the only way to grow closer to God.

When we are in the middle of a battle spiritually and feel the pull to avoid the conflict, we must realize that God has a purpose in mind for every trial and testing of our faith. These trials are all according to His perfect timetable.

God is always at work. Even in the difficult times, God is still working on our behalf. Everything that comes your way is in God’s plan and is at the exact time God wants it. God doesn’t make mistakes. Your health trial wasn’t at a bad time for God. That financial struggle didn’t come a little too early in life. And your spiritual battle wasn’t at an inopportune time according to God’s timetable. Everything happens at a specific time for a reason.

Source: Daily in the Word, June 1, 2008