I remember once thinking as a kid, Why would the same sun melt wax and harden clay?
You and I know today, of course, that the sun doesn’t actually change the properties of either one. It simply reveals how wax and clay react differently to heat. In the same way, two different people can be exposed to the same circumstance, and each will likely react differently.
The truth is, how you respond to temptation or testing tells you something about yourself. You discover what’s going on inside of you. Are you softening and leaning into God, trusting Him? Or are you hardening your heart and trusting in yourself?
God knows every temptation you encounter will help you see more clearly what’s in your heart.
We never know what’s in a tube until we take off the top and squeeze it. So God often allows squeezing times to come so that we can better understand His work within us.
But in the midst of the squeezing—or the temptation—always remember that “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful… when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out…” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Trials, testing, and temptations come into the lives of every believer, but they’re nothing to be afraid of. As you draw closer to God, leaning into Him, He will provide the opportunity to do right through Himself.