With God Is Always Better
Always Enough - Kari Jobe
‘If I have You, I have everything
But without You, I have nothing’
I've been through some difficult seasons—some of my own making, others simply the unavoidable sorrows of life, like losing someone I love. I've also experienced moments of extraordinary grace: marrying my high school sweetheart, holding my children for the first time, and bringing my dog Teddy home.
In both the mountaintops and the valleys, God was there. He was within me when I felt strong, beside me when I felt weak, and ahead of me when I couldn't see the path forward.
Life is a mixture of joy and heartbreak, gain and loss, celebration and grief. That's why God must remain at the center of it all. He is the One I thank for every blessing, and the One I turn to when my heart aches. Both are necessary. Gratitude deepens our faith, and suffering teaches us to lean on something greater than ourselves.
The gifts remind us that God is good. The struggles remind us that God is near. Neither season is wasted. Together they shape us, humble us, and teach us to give credit where credit is due.
Paul writes:
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
— 1 Thessalonians 5:18
He doesn't say to give thanks for all circumstances, but in all circumstances. We may not be grateful for the loss, the disappointment, or the pain itself, but we can be grateful that God remains present through it all. The same God who celebrates with us in our victories sits beside us in our grief.
Looking back over my life, I can see that whether I was laughing or crying, succeeding or struggling, one truth remained unchanged:
With God, it was always better. Not necessarily easier, not always the outcome I wanted, but better. Because His presence gave meaning to the blessings and comfort to the hardships. And in every season, He faithfully led the way.
