Approaching my 8^th grade graduation, I waited eagerly as my principal announced who would be the class’s valedictorian and salutatorian. Because I got good grades and worked hard, I believed I had a great shot at being the class salutatorian. After taking our finals, we marched over to the church next to our school, where we would have graduation practice.

The principal walked up to the podium, gave us directions on what to do for graduation, and then announced the winners. I sat quietly in the front pew, my fingers interlaced in my lap, patiently waiting for my name to be called. Indeed, after all the hard work I had done throughout the years, the hard studying, and the sacrifices I made, I would certainly be rewarded for all that.

When she got to the salutatorian’s name, she echoed a name into the microphone, but it wasn’t mine. There was a collective gasp in the room, and many heads turned and looked at me. I kept my eyes peeled forward, just staring at the principal. We went back to school, and I ran down the school hallway, but before I could get to my mom’s car, the girl who had won approached me: “I’m sorry, Michelle. I thought you were going to get it.” At that, I lost it, crashed through the front doors, and ran outside.

For many years, I believed my effort was not enough, and I wasn’t worth anything unless I was working.

For many years, I believed my effort was not enough, and I wasn’t worth anything unless I was working. Although this incident happened when I was not a Christian, because I matured in my Christian walk over the years, I have learned that this event has formed my character like none other. For many years, I didn’t want to work hard at anything.

I realized that those incidents refined my character in areas such as integrity, morality, and resilience. God refines our character; he produces perseverance in our lives. Sometimes he uses events just like the one above to do it. Improving my character produces perseverance in my life. Here are a few things I learned:

It Helps Me Become More Like Christ

Jesus is the embodiment of morality. Everything he did was sinless; everything he did was laced with integrity. He never did anything out of selfish motivation but rather part of a desire for his Father to be made known to all. Because of the Holy Spirit, our life should exude the fruits of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, self-control, and others.

However, those traits are often refined when unfortunate circumstances come our way. How do we react when we respond to God when life gets tough? Do we get angry? Do we persevere, trusting in God fully, and knowing he is in complete control of every situation?

It Tests My Faith

It is easy to praise and trust God when life goes our way; Finances are secure, our health is perfect, and our relationships are rewarding and fulfilling. It is easy to trust in our strength rather than in God’s. However, when mounting debt seeks to crush us, and when the doctor’s results are not what we expected, or we have unresolved conflict or strained relationships with our loved ones, living in faith can be challenging.

As God stretches our faith, we become more dependent on God and his ability to turn any situation around for his good. The best way to develop perseverance in my life is to have my faith tested. It allows me to question where my real identity comes from. When my identity is solidified in Christ and who He says I am, rather than what the world says, I can better persevere through trials because, as Scripture says, refining my character will produce hope.

The best way to develop perseverance in my life is to have my faith tested. It allows me to question where my real identity comes from.

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5, NIV)

It Helps Me Overcome Challenging Circumstances with Ease

The more tough circumstances that I endure, the more resilience I develop in my life. Along with resilience comes flexibility. I have become less rigid in my response to others and more flexible when it comes to extending grace and allowing others to make mistakes.When we look back on difficult circumstances, it can refine us and help us to extend grace, exude more humility, and trust God like never before. This way, when the next challenging circumstance comes our way, we can handle it with more confidence.

Not only do challenging circumstances help me produce character in my life, but they also provide an example for everyone watching me. Non-Christians watch me as an example of what to do when living out a Christ-like example. When I act like the world acts when it comes to challenging circumstances, non-Christians scoff because they don’t believe Christ is real. They’re looking for the Savior who is different from the world.

If I am to be the example of Christ in the world, I need to act differently than the world would act. Instead of seeking revenge or getting angry, I can exude patience and trust that God will reveal his perfect plan. Tough circumstances refine our character. God gives us the gift of righteousness and the ability to handle tough circumstances with grace rather than strife.