My three-year-old granddaughter, Eppie, has a new phrase, “I had a wough day. She doesn’t have her “r” sound mastered yet, but I’m sure she has heard an adult talk about “having a rough day.” Her daddy laughs, asking her, “Just how bad a day could you possibly have had?”

(Granny, can confer, that in this picture, she HAD had a bad night, battling with a high fever. She was uncharateristically cuddly. )

We all have days when everything seems to go wrong, right? The “spilt milk” sorts of things that occur every day are sometimes harder to find joy in than the major trials. My frustration levels rise when circumstances do not go exactly the way I planned. I fuss and fret, usually causing more minor catastrophes. My husband says that things going wrong, like dropping something and breaking it, or the washing machine overflowing, or a flat tire, are all reminders that we live in a fallen world.

Small struggles provide the opportunity to rejoice and learn perseverance. They prepare me for the bigger trials that might lie ahead. They also give me an opportunity to realize that my trials are minor compared to what others face, for instance, in places like Haiti.

Illness, accidents, wars, poverty, injustice, hunger, crime, and floods surround us. Such things may cause us to blame God. Why does God allow such things to occur? In fact, we are correct in blaming God. God is to blame. Since man chose to sine, God had to allow pain and suffering in the world. Fortunately, he created death and limits our days. However, this doesn’t mean that he is guilty or unjust for allowing these things.

If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them, (Mark 13:20).

In the midst of this suffering God sent his Son to tell us that “God is love.” But how can a God of love allow such evil and destruction? He allows such things to occur so that we might humble ourselves and repent. God placed each of us in our life situation, whether good or bad, so that we might seek him (Acts 17:26-27).

In the deepest of love and wisdom, God permits every injustice and suffering so that we might see our need to depend on him. Even if it does not happen directly to us God hopes we will learn by observation. This truth may seem unpleasant, but if understood and accepted leads to a deep eternal joy. It’s a lesson we can teach our children while they are young.

So the next time you have a “wough” day, ask God for wisdom. He will show you clearly the purpose of your trials. Persevering through trials and sufferings teaches us how God works. Each time we pass through a trial we can look back and learn new lessons. Then with this new wisdom we can face the next trial.