When the Good Outweighs the Bad

 

By Andrea Merrell

For many of us, 2023 has been a long year. In my family, we are trying to recover from a terrible fire in our backyard that destroyed two storage sheds full of items. I had back surgery earlier this year, and a few months ago my husband had a bit of a health scare.

But through every unsettling circumstance, God sustained, protected, and provided. He turned everything around and worked it for our good and His glory. We have so much to be thankful for as this year comes to a close.

What about you? Has this year turned out as you’d hoped? Maybe you’ve been through some hard times as well.

We’re told to “count it all joy” when life happens, something that goes against our fleshly nature. The key is in how we handle things and what we learn through them. The Message translation of James 1:2-4 calls it faith under pressure.

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

God’s desire is for us to trust Him and to have a grateful heart, no matter what we’re facing. When we place our faith in Him and start counting our blessings instead of dwelling on how much we’ve lost or what we’ve gone through, it changes our perspective. It fills us with His peace and joy that nothing can take away from us.

As you look back over this past year, remember that in God’s kingdom the good always outweighs the bad.

 

Photo by Volkan Olmez on Unsplash