The Fight To FlourishSample

The Fight to Find Beauty in the Battle

What is difficult and what is good in life are not mutually exclusive. I’ve found that the hard parts and the good parts of life don’t happen separately; they usually happen simultaneously. We can experience mountaintop highs and valley lows at the exact same time, and in a way, they blend together. It doesn’t seem possible, but the sooner we can recognize and embrace the fact that there’s beauty in the blend, the sooner we can live through it confidently and with purpose. 

In both the small, daily struggles and in the seemingly bigger trials, I want to find the good in the difficulty, the beauty in the blend. Psalm 30:11–12 reminds us that there’s a purpose in our pain: to speak and sing of Who He is and not be silent. 

God has shown me that even in my darkest season of grief, joy can be found. I just have to fight to look for it and embrace it even when I don’t have the strength to do so. Psalm 16:11 tells us that in God’s presence He will fill me with joy. When joy surrounds our hearts, it doesn’t matter what else is surrounding it. We have the choice to rejoice.

God doesn’t give us the fullness of His joy by completely removing the heartache. We’re not in heaven yet, where there are no tears and no pain. We have both joy and hardship, peace and trouble, midnight and dawn. We cannot avoid the bad things that happen in life, but we can ask God to open our eyes to see how the good and the bad blend. We can even ask Him to help us see that we need the hard things in order to flourish.

Respond

How is joy during heartache possible? How is this different from the way you have looked for joy in the past?

How would you describe your trust in God in different circumstances? What is your trust based on?

Where do you need to ask God to open your eyes to see how He is using the blend of good and bad surrounding you?

Prayer

Lord my God, today I look to You. I remember that Your thoughts and Your ways are higher than mine. And the work You are doing is deeper than I can see. So I choose to trust You today. 

In the midst of my struggle, in the midst of my situation, I choose right now to see that You are good and that You are doing a beautiful work in me, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Thank You that even in the hard times of life, You are good, and You’re working every little thing out in my life for Your glory and for my good. I worship You today.