Hopeful-Ish: Finding Jesus in Sadness and PainSample

Good News

The world is always changing, and not always for the best. Optimists are wrestling with pessimism. People who were formerly happy and content look at this new world with disappointment and skepticism. Professional lives that used to have excitement and prestige can now be lived on Zoom in Christmas pajama pants. Life just doesn’t feel like it used to.

Many relationships have taken a hit, and we’ve lost people we love, and I think we tend to feel pretty beat up. A little sad and tired. Or a lot sad and tired.

Over the past few years, the Lord has been showing me that the gospel is even stronger than I thought. It is also strong enough to hold itself up to deep, dark, unexpected sadnesses. The good news of the gospel of Jesus can get us through anything. Even the worst things.

We believe in a God who has and will overcome even death. We have a God who will restore everything that’s been broken. So, I hope that through the pain I share here, you can feel in your hand the thick thread of hope I carry with me, not because I feel strong enough to carry much of anything these days, but because the Spirit of God lives in me and has been carrying me and all my heartaches all along.

If you’re a child of God, He can and will do the same for you. And keep going, because we need each other. We need to share our stories—the ones that looked bleak but turned out redeemed—the ones that seemed sad, but ended up working together for our good (Rom. 8:28). Life is hard. God is holding us. “...therefore, we do not lose heart” (2 Cor. 4:16a NIV).