Every day, all of us go through trials and tribulations.

Some are small. Something doesn't go according to plan. A conversation goes badly. We lose an opportunity. We have a difficult day.

And then there are the bigger tests.

The ones that really push us. The ones that make us question ourselves, our decisions, the people around us, and sometimes the direction of our lives.

I have been thinking about those tests differently.

What if the test is not only something we are supposed to get through?

What if the test itself is an invitation?

The test may not only be something you have to get through. The test may be an invitation to come closer to God.

Who do we turn to when our own strength isn't enough?

When everything is going well, it is surprisingly easy to believe that we are in control.

We make plans. We work hard. We solve problems. We build careers. We take care of our families. We make decisions and move forward.

And without realizing it, we can start depending almost entirely on ourselves.

Then something happens that we cannot easily fix.

Our experience isn't enough. Our money isn't enough. Our network isn't enough. Our intelligence isn't enough. Sometimes even the people who love us cannot give us the answer we need.

And suddenly we remember something that perhaps we should never have forgotten.

We were never doing this alone.

Who should we turn to when we don't know what to do?

Our Maker.

Who should we ask for strength when our own strength starts running out?

Our Maker.

Who understands the situation completely when we can only see the small piece directly in front of us?

Our Maker.

Maybe that is part of the purpose

I don't think every difficulty should automatically be interpreted as punishment. And faith certainly doesn't mean sitting still and waiting for God to solve problems that we have the ability and responsibility to address.

Sometimes the test may be whether we will actually take action.

Sometimes it may test our patience.

Sometimes our humility.

Sometimes our courage.

Sometimes our character.

And sometimes perhaps the test simply reminds us that we are not as self-sufficient as we thought we were.

That realization can be uncomfortable. But it can also be incredibly powerful.

Because the moment I say, “God, I don't know what to do. Please guide me,” something has already changed.

The problem may still be there.

But my relationship with the problem has changed.

I am no longer carrying it as though everything depends entirely on me.

A different question

When something difficult happens, our natural reaction is often:

“Why is this happening to me?”

I understand that question. I have asked it myself.

But perhaps there is another question worth asking:

“What am I supposed to learn, change, remember, or return to through this?”

Faith doesn't remove the test. It changes how we walk through it.

That doesn't magically make the difficulty disappear.

But it changes the test from something that is merely happening to us into something through which we may be able to grow.

Sometimes hardship strips away the illusion of control

There is an interesting paradox in life.

When everything works, we can easily credit ourselves.

I planned well.

I worked hard.

I figured it out.

I made the right decisions.

Then life gives us something that planning cannot solve.

And suddenly all of that confidence gets stripped away.

What remains can be a very simple prayer:

“Ya Allah, I need You.”

Maybe that moment matters more than we realize.

Maybe coming closer to God is not merely something that happens while we are going through the test.

Maybe, sometimes, it is one of the reasons for the test.

Sometimes coming closer to God isn't merely what happens during the test. Sometimes it may be part of the purpose of the test.

Faith doesn't remove the test. It changes how we walk through it.

We still have to make decisions.

We still have to do the work.

We still have to apologize when we are wrong, change direction when necessary, seek help when we need it, and accept consequences when they come.

But we do those things while remembering that our perspective is limited.

We see today.

God sees the road ahead.

And perhaps some of the moments we would never have chosen for ourselves eventually become the moments that changed us the most.

So when the next test comes—and it will—I am trying to remember not only to ask God to remove it.

I also want to ask Him to help me understand it, learn from it, navigate it properly, and become closer to Him because of it.

Because sometimes the test may also be the invitation.