Proven character

Today I picked up a new study bible.  The first thing I looked up was Romans 5:3-5.  It reads:
"And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and preven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

It's similar but notice it says proven character, not just character.  It has a Greek/Hebrew dictionary in the back.
proven character - approved, tried; approved integrity.
hope - to anticipate, usually with pleasure; confident expectation of good.  Wow!  What an incredible definition.  Hope means we know good will come out of it even if it isn't what we had in mind. 


Last year at Relay for Life in Woodford County, the speaker to the cancer survivors was a doctor.  I felt odd sitting there among breast cancer survivors, those with deadly forms of cancer.  I was notified about my cancer and it was removed all within a week.  I did not go through radiation, chemo, or weeks of agonizing over what decisions to make or if I would survive.  But I was meant to be there so I would here this doctor.

He demonstrated different ideas and the lemon stuck with me.  He said when times get really tough, and the lemon is squeezed, sometimes lemon juice comes out.  That is, we don't focus on God, we get nasty with those around us, we only see the negative - that type of thing.  But did the squeezing really cause the behavior?  The lemon juice, nastiness, was there all along.  That stuck with me, because when I get squeezed, I realize my lemon juice is going all over the place.  I'm learning to mix that with sugar to get lemonade, but there are still many sour days I'm afraid to say.  One thing that helps is seeking God before the big squeeze, not after it's already happened.