Why Struggles in Life Are Some of God’s Greatest Gifts
“We often overlook the fact that struggles in life are some of God’s greatest gifts,” my mentor tells me as we talk on the phone on a warm autumn evening.
I know she’s right, but I don’t want to hear it.
Life has been hard lately, and I feel like these struggles are suffocating me. I’ve been wrestling with unanswered prayers and processing some difficult disappointments.
I find it hard to believe that these struggles are God’s gifts.
Struggles in Life
Most likely, you have a few struggles in life, too.
Maybe you’re praying for a child who turned away from the Lord or a friend who has never turned toward him.
Perhaps you’ve been praying for an ailing loved one, a financial blessing, a victory, an apology, or a breakthrough. Possibly, you’ve grown weary from waiting for God to answer your prayer. You wonder if you should just stop asking.
As I look back on the year my prayers seemed to go unanswered, I see what I couldn’t see in the middle of my pain and suffering: Even when God seems silent, he is still working.
Perhaps we all need to sit with our unanswered prayers and consider this: What God is doing in us is more important than what he is doing for us.
The Truth About Struggles in Life
This phrase sounds spiritual and truthful. However, when I’m in a season of suffering—a season of unanswered prayers regarding my pain—I don’t usually care too much about what God is doing within me. I just want the suffering to pass.
In these times, I often tell God that if he would just change my circumstances, everything would be better. I’d be less distracted, more joyful, and readily able to serve him. It seems to me that answering my prayer is the one way God might bring the greatest glory to his name.
The words of Scripture offer a different suggestion about our pain and suffering: “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10).
Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, was perfected through suffering.
If the Savior of the world was made perfect through what he suffered, should we expect something less—something easier?
Jesus Learned Obedience Through Struggles
God promises to use all things for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Furthermore, he defines good in this way: conforming us to the image of Jesus (See Romans 8:28-29).
God doesn’t always answer my prayers in the ways I want him to answer because he’s doing something in me that is more important than removing my suffering.
God doesn’t always answer my prayers in the ways I want him to answer because he’s doing something in me that is more important than removing my suffering. #suffering #pain #GodsLove Share on XOur heavenly Father uses pain and suffering to shape and mold us into the image of his Son.
God Is Working in Your Heart When You Are Struggling in Life
Are you struggling in life?
Don’t lose hope.
What God is doing in you throughout this season is far more important than what he is doing for you.
He is helping you become mature and complete (James 1:2-4).
He is molding you to look more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29).
God is waiting to reveal his power in your weakness. Lean into his grace and watch for his power to move (2 Corinthians 12:10).
A Free Devotional for When You Face Struggles in Life:
I have a gift for you today: my online devotional, Glimpses of Hope for When Life Lets You Down. This devotional will lead you through a daily reflection, Scripture reading, and questions for thought and reflection. It will help you bring your broken heart to God and process your emotions in the safe place of his presence. It’s yours right here.
Calling all moms and daughters—and parents of boys!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 14, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or grandparents to read with the children they care about.
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength is for boys ages 5-13. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to courageously carry God’s love into the world. Written with input from our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven, this book will help the boys you care about find courage and strength in God. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Devotionals for Girls
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
All three books are available in print and eBook form here on Amazon. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
