I listened to a message the other day that reminded me to not just endure hardships and challenges but to embrace them. Sometimes we want to avoid God when we have doubts or struggles, but in our wrestling with him, we remain close, intimate with him. When we embrace him, we are active participants. We choose to hang on, to remain close.

God doesn’t simply allow some things outside our comfort zone, he invites us into them. I’m not saying he causes all of them, but he can purpose through them, which is why he wants us to actively seek him through them. We’re not to face them on our own. We face them with him.

The bad stuff that happens in our lives isn’t due to a bad God. He is a good God even when life is not. In the midst of the mess of the world, he can work through us for our growth, for others’ faith journeys, and for his glory.

Embrace him today.