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raw joy
Sometimes, joy doesn’t look like rejoicing. It may feel startling, or undesirable; its rough edges may scrape our fragile skin as we brush up against it. But when we begin to recognize joy in the raw places of our grief and disillusionment, we are convinced anew that God is good, that faith is real. When we see that there is hope ahead, that we haven't been abandoned in the midst of an unfinished story, this is our joy. So hang onto this truth, Beloved, when the winds blow untamed and the path twists in front of you. Yes, there may be suffering and pain where the road bends, but the…
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the hidden life
Every dry season, every scathing wind that rips at us where we are most vulnerable, God uses to build our strength, to increase our perseverance and our faith in Him. I believe He allows us to go through periods of raw discomfort so that when the prophesied times of testing come, we will not be like “the colleagues who are spoiled for water.” We will not wither away because of a lack of strong roots. The dry, uncomfortable conditions of both daily life and seasons of life keep us digging deeper, spreading our roots deeper into the Rock who is our foundation.
