I want to start this with what I suppose is probably an obvious statement. We, as Christians, are living in a fallen world corrupted by sin. We ourselves are corrupted by sin. Even after we become saved – our sinful nature still resides in us. A sinful nature that we are all-too-keen to give in to far more often than any of us realize, or would ever care to admit.

As such, we are left to deal with the inevitable consequences of those sins. Whenever sin is present, sickness, heartache, pain, suffering, disease, and indeed, death, are never far behind. And that... that makes life hard. Especially for us Christians, who have been given a new nature. A new nature that wants to battle with sin, and learns to see the vileness and ugliness of sin. When we learn that all of the suffering, pain and heartache that we endure here on this earth is ultimately the result of sin – we rightfully grow to hate it and flee from it. Not perfectly. Never perfectly. But progressively.

To that effect – it can be easy for Christians to fall into the trap of wondering, in a world wrought with sin and grief, if there is any joy to be found at all.

In my own life – I look around and often wonder if life is merely an exercise in watching everything you love and everything that ever brought you joy, slowly (or sometimes far too quickly) get taken away from you, so that eventually, there is nothing left but you and an ugly world filled with sin.

That is indeed a very bleak thought.

And when I allow myself to go to that place, I often think, in that scenario, how easy it would be to desire for nothing but God – because everything I loved here on earth is now gone.

And maybe that's the point. Maybe the Christian life is markedly about the consistent removal of things that tie us to this earth, so that we truly desire nothing more than to be with Jesus.

And yet – there is still this part of me that wants to believe that there is joy to be found while we're still here on earth.

How often have I read stories and accounts of people who have had everything taken from them – and yet their heart still sings with joy? Even scripturally, we see Paul, afflicted and imprisoned, singing songs of praise, while in jail.

Biblically, we are instructed to keep our focus on Jesus, and told that regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, He is with us and His grace is sufficient.

And if I am being honest – rarely do I fully understand or comprehend what that means.

When I am sorrowful and filled with grief... when I feel that God has not answered my prayers or that He is far from me... when I am tired and burnt out and just want a break... in all of those moments, how is God's grace sufficient?

Too often, I think we hear this and think it means God's grace will replace whatever it is we're going through.

When we're desperately hungry, we assume God's grace will make us feel miraculously full. Or if we're grieving, that God's grace will make us not sad. Or if we're scared or worried, that God's grace will suddenly make us indifferent to whatever it is we're afraid of.

And if that's what your expectation is – I suppose the only realistic outcome is going to be disappointment, more grief, and tarnished faith. What you actually want is a genie.

I think when God tells us that His grace is sufficient, what it actually means is that He is with us, and is calling for us to return to the stability that we can only find in Him.

Much like a child who falls down and skins their knee – they often run crying to their parent for comfort. The parent can't make their knee stop hurting – but, they can provide a source of comfort and stability that lets the child know it's going to be okay.

I think it is much the same with God. Our worlds are going to get shaken. We are going to feel pain. We are going to suffer. We are going to lose people that we love. But, when our worlds get shaken, while God might not take away the pain... he does give us a source of stability and comfort that we can always go back to and draw from, and know that everything is going to be okay.

"Be still, and know that I am God."

Psalm 46:10

That doesn't mean that He is going to undo the thing that hurt us or caused us pain (yet). But it does mean that He loves us, that He cares for us, that He knows how we feel, and perhaps most importantly, has a plan already set in motion that will ensure that it is all going to be okay, eventually.

Alas – the challenge with this is always looking at it from an eternal standpoint. It's a great thought to hear that one day we will be reunited with those we lost, who were in Christ. It's nice to think that one day, we will be reunited with our beloved pets. That every hurt will heal, and every tear will be wiped away. But – there is always that nagging, doubtful nature, born of our sin, that begins to question God's promises.

"Am I really saved?"

"Will he really restore everything?"

"Is any of this even true?"

"What if after we die, there's just nothing?"

It's these lies, and countless others like them that exacerbate our grief and make it unbearable.

Isn't it interesting how when we put our hope and trust in Jesus and believe everything He tells us, that it causes us to have hope and peace. But when we choose to doubt His promises, it causes us to feel fear, pain, and despair?

I have said before – anything that causes us fear, anxiety or despair are not from God. Satan loves it when we are afraid. And he is a master of twisting anything and everything to bring that about.

When people are afraid – they lash out. They respond with bitterness, anger, violence and selfishness. They seek comfort, and they seek it through all manner of things: drugs, sex, food, entertainment, etc.

Is it any wonder, as we look around at the sheer amount of sin in the world, that most people, more than anything else, are afraid?

There are so many people out there who are worried about politics, war, sickness, money, and themselves, that there is absolutely no capacity left for love, kindness or charity.

I can almost guarantee, if you scroll through social media, or the news, inside of 30 seconds, you will see a post about the president, a war going on in another part of the world, Covid, inflation & the rising costs of things, or people complaining how any/all of the above are affecting their lives.

Our world and the people in it are hurting. We need comfort. We need stability. We need to know that it's all going to be okay.

Fortunately – God has given us that, if we would just turn and run towards Him, like children running to their parents for comfort.

And yet – our sinful nature so often prevents us from doing that. Even if we are willing and mean to, before we do, our doubts frequently overrule us taking action.

Instead of turning to prayer, scripture, or our church family... instead we dwell on our doubts, and believe lies that tell us "God doesn't care or that God won't give us anything that makes any difference."

The good news is – it is possible for us to recognize those lies for what they are.

And if you ever find yourself doubting the promises and the goodness of God – I would encourage you to remember the child with a skinned knee. They ran to their parents seeking comfort – and after a short while of being assured that everything was going to be okay, lo-and-behold... everything actually was okay.