Psalm 16:8 – I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. (NLT)

One took advantage of the situation; the other stepped up to the plate.

Watching a few middle-schoolers traipse down the hall on crutches or with a limb in a cast isn't unusual. In addition to the injuries, there are usually health-related issues as well. Students missing class for injuries or health concerns is typical; how they deal with it varies.

One particular year, two stood out. One had a broken limb, the other a health-related issue that kept him home for weeks. Normally, when students have broken limbs, other students come alongside them and carry their books. Not for this particular student. He didn't even ask. He wrote the best that he could with the hand that he didn't usually write with. Nothing was late or missing. The other student took advantage of his situation.

The psalmist confessed that he would never be shaken regardless of what came his way. There was no need. The Lord was with him. The promise that he held onto applies to every believer. When trials come — no matter the intensity, time, or shape — being shaken is unnecessary. But how we respond reveals much about our faith.

If we go about our business in the presence of trials as if it were just another ordinary period — as the student with the broken limb did — our faith will change. Our spiritual walk with the Lord will mature, our faith will develop, and our dependence on God rather than ourselves will get a lift. Trials will turn us more toward God rather than to others or ourselves. We'll remember that we can't handle life on our own. We need more than friends, family, and acquaintances. We need God.

The only other choice is to do what the other student did: milk the system. We can get mad at God for allowing these circumstances into our lives and refuse to spend time with Him in prayer or any other way. We can depend too much on others at the expense of God and perhaps end up in co-dependent relationships. Or we can do nothing and have our own pity party.

Trials test our faith and form our integrity. Tackle the trials that come your way, knowing that God is on your side and is willing and able to help.

Prayer: Father, we thank You that Your strength is enough to enable us to conquer any trial. Amen.