Carla Fabiana

If you . . . who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

At times I have prayed and received not bread but what seemed to be stones. This is contrary to what Jesus was saying in the section of the Sermon on the Mount quoted above.

My initial reaction in these times was to complain and imagine that God was being hard on me. I came to realize, however, that if God is good - and God is - then hidden in the "stones" of unanswered prayer, unjust criticism, or unfulfilled dreams there must be something beautiful and valuable.

This became even clearer to me one day when I went to a museum. One display featured a collection of geodes - rocks that look ordinary on the outside but are hollow and lined with dazzling crystals. Each one had been opened, revealing its beautiful structure or hidden wealth.

So I now ask God to give me discernment when I think I have received a rock. I desire to find the beauty locked within the rock. This requires patience and confidence that God is good no matter what life throws at us. Even within difficult experiences, God can show us something beautiful or valuable.

Father, help us to discern what you have for our benefit and your glory in life's difficulties. Amen.

Through faith, we can discover treasures hidden in tough circumstances.