“Going through difficult times is fun” said no one, ever. We practically do everything we possibly can to avoid them, if we have any choice in the matter. This doesn’t stop hard times from coming mind you. Hard times frustrate us, cost us financially, hurt relationships, and sometimes, they even end those relationships. No one signs up for difficult times. Unfortunately, it is in those difficult times we often see God working the most.

What if we had a different perspective on the difficult times we go through? What if there could be a sense of joy knowing that in the trying times, you could grow closer to God? Maybe you would see others grow closer to God. What if we saw God work and move in our own lives through those difficult times. Isn’t there a sense where there isn’t anything you wouldn’t go through to see God move in your life or in the life of someone else?

“Count it all joy when you go through various trials . . . knowing the trying of your faith works patience. When patience is full, you will be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4) There can be a sense of joy when you know that the difficult times are not a complete loss. Hard times remind us this world is not our ultimate home. They remind us God has something better. He also reminds us that He can make ALL things new.