“No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but…it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrew 12:11. When trouble comes into our lives, we sometimes feel as if we’ve been hit broadside.  We may wonder, “Why is this happening to me?” One possibility is that God is using a painful experience to get our attention. God may be using pain in your life to lovingly persuade you to change in some area. The season of trouble may not be easy, but if we let ourselves be trained by it, new growth will result.  Affliction for God’s people can be the pruning knife to prepare us for greater fruitfulness.