Glory in the Grind: Growing Patience Through Life’s Trials – Romans 5:3 Reflection
This morning’s verse on my Bible app really spoke to me:
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;” – Romans 5:3 (KJV)
Over the last year and a half, life has felt like one storm after another. I’ve faced so many challenges that, for a long time, I truly wondered if I was being punished. That’s where my mind stayed for months—thinking maybe I had done something wrong, and that’s why it felt like everything was falling apart.
But lately, God has been shifting my perspective. Over these last few months, I’ve realized how far off I was in my thinking. Life is full of ups and downs for everyone. Good and bad things happen to us all, but the difference for those who follow Christ is that we don’t walk through those seasons alone. We walk through them with Him by our side. And isn’t that so much better than facing the storm by ourselves?
When I prayed for patience, I thought God would just give it to me. Instead, He has been growing patience in me—through trials, through waiting, through learning to trust Him even when I don’t understand. And honestly, I wouldn’t trade that now, because what He’s been building in me is far stronger than a quick answer to prayer.
The same goes for peace and wisdom. We often want them instantly, but God doesn’t always work like that. Instead, He allows us to go through seasons that teach us what true peace looks like, the kind that doesn’t depend on circumstances but on His presence. He teaches us wisdom not through ease, but through experiences that draw us closer to Him.
This verse today reminded me that tribulation has a purpose. Trials aren’t evidence that God has forgotten us or is angry with us—they are opportunities for Him to refine us. Romans 5 goes on to say:
“And patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” – Romans 5:4–5 (KJV)
There’s a chain reaction here:
Tribulation produces patience.
Patience builds experience (proven character).
Experience leads to hope.
And that hope is secure because of God’s unchanging love poured into our hearts.
Looking back on this season of my life, I can see God’s fingerprints all over it. What felt like punishment was actually preparation. What felt like a breaking was really a building up. He has been teaching me to lean on Him in every step, and in doing so, He’s been strengthening my faith in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
If you’re going through a hard season right now, I want to encourage you: You are not being punished. You are being refined. God loves you too much to leave you where you are. He is shaping your heart, growing your patience, and filling you with a hope that will not disappoint. Trust Him in the process, even when it’s hard, because nothing you’re walking through is wasted.
With patience and hope,
Just Catrina
