Finding Safety in His Glory

        Why do bad things happen? Why is there suffering, hurt, and a consuming pain that is physical and emotional in this world? How does God let this happen? Chapel today taught me a lesson about who God is that opened my eyes to something that I think is truly beautiful. There is something special about being present in your suffering, and in your time of trials. Something special about finding peace within the fact that our pain that we endure here on earth is the closest that we are ever going to get to hell, this is the worst it gets. We get served hardships that have the ability to draw us closer to this fallen angel who joys in our pain, while we have a savior who has endured so much worse than we ever will, and yet He CHOOSES to go through our struggles with us. My pain is His pain. But here's the best part. We can fall into the sadness and depression or anger, or whatever it is for you that keeps you from being overcome with pure and untainted joy, but all we have to do is turn to God. He is waiting to fill us up with his love and happiness that is all-consuming. Our trials on earth will no longer mean anything because there is something bigger. There is something so much greater than anything on this earth could offer us. So be present. Accept your suffering and live in it. Be still in it and let God go through the journey with you. Everything that man does for evil God does for good. Every no He gives you is so he can give you an even better yes in the future. His plan is SO much greater than ours even if we can't understand how or why. I think that that is part of the beauty of who God is. Here on this earth we don't even have the ability to see the bigger picture that God does, and we get to have the GIFT of faith to trust in Him and the fact that we get to be comforted by the safety of His arms. Hardships and seasons of hurting are inevitable. We live in a broken world with broken people, but we have an almighty God. Trials are what brings us closer to Him, and closer to being the person that He created us to be. Embrace the mountain set in front of you and climb it, find community to help lift you up, and be still. In the moments of self pity, or guilt, or anger, be still. The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still. Be present. Be.