In times of hardship, I can’t seem to stop myself from asking, “Why is this happening, God?”—even though he rarely gives me an answer. Once in a great while, he’ll help me see how the difficulty I’m experiencing fits into the cosmic scheme of things, but that’s the exception rather than the rule.
As I’ve matured in my faith, I’ve come to realize that what God wants most is for me to trust in his wisdom and goodness, even if I don’t understand the whys. In fact, I have a black sign in my house that says in big white letters: God Is Good, All the Time. These simple words help me to focus when things seem out of control. (By the way, my five-year-old granddaughter is now able to read it for herself and we had a nice little talk about it–one of the many joys of being a grandparent.)
Rich Tatum concludes his article “Gratitude in the Lean Times” (ChristianBibleStudies.com)with these words:
If there’s anything to be thankful for, this is it: that Jesus is who he is. That he did what he did. And that we enjoy the privilege of sharing in a minuscule part of his suffering that we might be a little bit more like him. Our suffering in no way compares to the infinite agony Jesus suffered on the cross as God and man, but our temporary suffering does help produce within us a kind of godliness we can get no other way.
If we let it.
