With God's Help: Devotions From Time of GraceSample

Why is my life so hard? “Doesn’t God say he’ll bless us? Then why did I get let go from my job?” You have heard that question and its many variations before, have you not? If God loves me, why does he let me struggle like this? Probably for the same reason that you don’t do your kids’ math problems for them. They will never learn quadratic equations until they have struggled with them, failed a few times, and learned to overcome. “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son” (Hebrews 12:5,6). It is a feature of human life that growth and change come only with challenge and pressure. Muscles don’t come from donuts, and speed doesn’t come from watching TV. When God lets us experience conflict or loss, it’s not because he doesn’t care but because he does. He wants to grow and develop us into something different and something better. His greatest desire for our lives is not our pleasure and comfort. It is that we survive this world with our faith in Christ intact. Here’s the beautiful promise: when you are an unbeliever, your sufferings have no meaning. When you are connected to Christ, your Father will make all hardships work for you. And for him.