Hello! I’m going back to an old draft and trust it will apply to some of the brokenness we are facing in our world and our own hearts… Life can feel quite dark as we look at the news and all the injustices in our world. So how do we wrestle with this and still find hope? The darkness in our world, combined with the struggles we all face, can sometimes be quite overwhelming. Facing darkness is hard, and telling someone that ‘it’s for God’s glory’ while their heart is bleeding usually doesn’t go over well. We must also wrestle with his goodness. Is he really good in the midst of all this? It’s hard to praise God and point to His glory when I’m hurting or the world looks and feels so broken. Trying to hang on to truth is hard. A friend once told me, and I have clung to this over the years, “in trials we must wrestle with and affirm both the goodness of God, and that he is in control. One without the other would not be comforting.” 

Looking at the Cross of Jesus Christ is always a wonderful place to fix our thoughts as well. His sacrifice displayed the Glory of God in a way that no other life can or ever will. I sometimes find this a hard concept to get my mind around, and to find comfort in. But something will always be true about the sacrifice of Christ on the cross – in His deep agony, God was writing a story that transforms lives like nothing else can. It is true that we can comfort others with the comfort that we have received in our hardships. And this is where the true beauty happens. It’s not a blithe comment that ‘all will be well in time’, it’s a heart that has been there and not only created you, but knows you better than you know yourself. The glory of God in darkness is that He is always there, and He has been where you are. In fact, He came to earth so that He could experience the pain we face daily on planet Earth, living in frail human flesh. Even as deep as our pain can be, nothing will ever be as intense as what He faced. God is sitting next to you, waiting to be invited in to your deep pain. He is Emmanuel, God with us! When we allow Him to connect with us in our pain and grief, we display His glory, for this is why He came! To serve, not to condemn. I often forget that He is with me even in the details. It is easy to be afraid of God, not fearing God in the reverent way. Often Satan tricks us into thinking that we are not good enough, God wouldn’t want to hear our problems anyway, and that we probably deserve the mess we are in after all. We have to fight against these lies. The battle is within us as much as it is outside us (I worked through many of the lies I wrestle with as I read this book.) The truth is that Jesus is interceding for us daily, literally fighting at the Throne of Grace, and standing up for us against our adversary, the Devil. We have an advocate. We are not alone. 

I have found that the deepest grace and glory of the trials we face is the depth of communion we can have with Christ and His sufferings. It is a true honor to suffer with and for Christ. We can choose to walk on our own, in pride, shame, or a host of other vices that push us from Center. OR, we can lean into Christ, and allow His glory to be displayed in our brokenness. The truth is that His glory and power are made perfect in our weakness, so resisting His love forgoes the chance that our trials will point to Him. Do not waste your trials, friends. Let them display His love and glory by inviting Him into them with You. He is a tender and gracious God, and He longs to hear your heart. He is patiently waiting to have a heart to heart with you about whatever pain you are facing, be it ‘big’ or ‘small’.

All things DO work together for our good, but God does not promise we will know what the beautiful tapestry of our loose ends will look like this side of heaven. Often we see only the messy side, the back of the tapestry. But God is able to do beyond what we ask or imagine. Choosing to hope every day, when all seems to be bleak, also brings Him glory. It is a testament to the faith He is working within us to continue to hope and believe in God, even when nothing makes sense. But rest, dear one, knowing that even if you do not believe, and you cannot find God, and your hope and faith withered away years ago… He will bear you up on eagle’s wings, and take you into His arms if only you call to Him. He came to serve, not to be served. He is God, but He is humble, gracious, and worthy of praise.

Wrestling with our own personal trials, as the world around us feels like the wheels have fallen off, well, it can all be too much for our souls. I’ve found that building up my home and the habits and virtues we cultivate as a family, brings great peace and joy. This is what will restore the world, as we continue to build up our churches and homes, to the glory of God. I enjoyed reading Habits for a Sacred Home last year, and the author does a wonderful job fleshing out the Rule of Life first proposed by St. Benedict after the fall of Rome. He was able to preserve society as he cultivated a community that focused on these habits. When your life feels chaotic and out of order, whether with your own trials or the heaviness of the world, we can practice things like hospitality, stability, and prayer to carry hope in our own lives and out into the world. Highly recommend the book! Jennifer’s RHC community, which only opens a few times a year, is also so wonderful. 

I pray that even if your life today seems to be without hope, your community will carry you to Jesus, and that God himself will cover you with His feathers and comfort you as a mother hen with her chicks. I have been loving Psalm 91 lately and meditating on it almost daily! He is our refuge in the storm. 

Additional recommended resource: John Eldredge’s Pause App (a free prayer app that is just SO good!)

Take courage, dear one, the story is still being written, and as believers, we know we will be with Him again one day!