As the sun rose over the ocean a gentle breeze blew awakening my senses to the peace of my surroundings. My thoughts quieted for a moment as my mind took in the beauty of the tiny island I was vacationing on.

I wished that every day could begin like this day. A beginning when everyone around was not occupied with work or the tragedy of life. A day where simple faith in God was all that was required in order to make it through the day.

Whenever I look back at life I gain wisdom. I see the truth of why a particular test came my way. I allow the truth over my life to teach me to look at my world as a challenge and not as a punishment.

Too many people are suffering in the world today. They are sick and afflicted from all kinds of incurable diseases. They are crying all of the time and they have stopped seeing the reason why they are feeling so much despair.

1 Thessalonians 3: 3&4, "so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know."

This is the reason why we need God for we are destined to go through trials. God gives us hope when there seems there can be no hope. He allows us to take our own human limitations and believe that with His help we can overcome the complications we face in our present day lives.

Our trust in God gives us the ability to reach higher than those who have no God at all. With faith nothing we face is an obstacle because we believe in Miracles.

We believe that even though we cannot do it, God can give us the strength to climb the treacherous mountains and cross the rough seas of life and win the victory.

A mother clasps the hands of a dying child and her prayers reach the heavens above with pleads for help. God's angels are sent to perform miracles in that mothers life. If the child is destined to die then the angel gives the mother the strength she will need to endure the pain of loss. If the child is to live then the angel gives the mother a celebration over the miracle of life.

Our trials are a result of God's purpose for our being. A destiny that is meant to elevate us and change us into more loving and compassionate people who will fight for God.

When we are on the side of God and love, the loss of a loved one positions us strategically against the unseen spiritual forces of evil. Forces that can only be defeated through people who will stand up to Satan and see the good that can come even from death.

As people who believe in Jesus Christ, we must cling to how His suffering and death gave us hope that all our pain will be rewarded in eternity. This knowledge helps us to handle death even when it is our own precious child and helps us to understand that our pain is temporary. But our fight for God lasts through our life time.

Running to God when we are enduring the worst kind of pain gives us strength. Once time has passed and our time of grief is less we can comfort those who are suffering like we suffered. And our example can inspire that person to hold onto God and save them from giving into how the world handles death.

The world wants us to grieve to the point that we need therapy in order to save us from dying. Placing our trust in God lifts us up and makes us an example of faith in the sight of suffering. It gives others hope that if we can do this then they can do it too.

Philippians 2: 12b-15, "Keep on working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation, because God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be innocent and pure as God's perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky,"

Everything we go through is planned by God. He wants us to grow through the trials and become beacons of how love can help us overcome the evil found in this world.

Lights that shine forth, showing this corrupt world that nothing can conquer and defeat us because we place our faith in God. We know with certainty that our trials are for our betterment.

This is the reason why so many good people suffer. From verbal persecutions to physical affliction; God's soldiers fight against every evil of this corrupt and sinful world in order to defeat Satan and his followers.

Good must prevail and as a result children being raised in godly households suffer through illnesses. Good children die in order to show that their purpose is to help their parents fight for causes that they would never have been involved with if they had not suffered the loss of a child.

Jessica's Law to the founding of America's Most Wanted became a reality from crimes committed against children. Parents took their grief over their loses and turned them into organizations geared to fight crimes.

Every battle that Satan wages is fought by good people who turn the evil tides of battle into victory for the side of God. They win this prize by standing firm in their faith.

They choose to fight for God because they love Jesus and want to share in His death. They want to become righteous just as Jesus so they will gain the reward of Heaven.

Philippians 3:10-11, "All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life."

So every child of God endures the evils of this world in order that their lives will reflect the wisdom of God. A revelation that can only be gained through fighting against everything that has been corrupted by Satan.

Philippians 3:12-14, "I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. Of course, my brothers, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above."

We must stand our ground and lean on our faith that God is always in control. With God's help we can endure loss. With the strength of God we will stand because God is able to make us stand.

The breeze brought a coolness that calmed the heat from the bright Island sun. God surrounded my thoughts and gave me strength to walk refreshed and ready for the next battle that was certain to come my way. I would stay on the path and fight for God in my game of life.