Beauty in the bad times
By Jessica Brodie
Have you ever stumbled upon a truth so bizarre it made no sense, yet you knew in your core it was truest truth you could ever know?
I’ve learned my personal suffering has brought the deepest, purest joy I’ve ever been able to grasp—deeper even than those rare moments of absolute bliss. I still don’t understand it, but I’ve come to know there is a vast, wild soul connection between me and God in the bad times, and it is beautiful.
That time I found Jesus—not the idealized Jesus of my youth, but the raw, real, authentic Christ—as I sobbed on my bathroom floor.
That time I had the flu so bad I was certain I would die.
That time I thought I’d lost everything.
There at the bottom, in the very depths of my pain, smack in the center of the pit—those times have been the moments when I’ve felt Lord’s hand upon me in the most powerful, comforting way.
And so now, when I read the apostle Paul’s words throughout Scripture—about joy in suffering, about God meeting us in our darkest hours—I understand.
But I didn’t always. In my younger years, I hated suffering. I hated misery and pain. I wanted it over and done with as quickly as possible. I didn’t want to endure it in any way, or find any kernels of light within it. Paul’s words did not resonate, then.
Then God met me one day in the center of my pain, and my eyes were opened.
I’m not eager for bad times. I truly hope I get to spend the rest of my days without hard moments, grief, sadness, stress, or pain. But I no longer fear them—and I’ve come to understand there is a joy to be experienced right in the center of that pain.
And now, even less dramatic “bad times” are teaching me to rejoice.
For instance, some years ago, I had a debilitating headache that lasted for three days straight. I tried everything—Advil, exercise, rest, a good meal, migraine medicine—to no avail. On Day Three I sat on the edge of my bathtub, head in my hands, wondering how I could get relief and begging God for it to go away.
Then a verse I’d read flashed through my mind: thank God for everything. My inner self rolled my eyes. But as I sat there, trying to decide whether to drag myself downstairs for breakfast or collapse in bed again, the verse echoed again.
Thank God for everything.
And so, as odd as it felt, I closed my eyes, bowed my head, pressed my hands together and mumbled with every ounce of non-sarcasm I could muster, “Thank you, God, for my headache.”
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In the still of that morning, in the quiet haze of headache and bleary non-sleep, I felt a sudden peace surround me. God. There, in that moment, with me. I still had my headache, but God was with me in the pain.
My headache eventually went away, but I’ve found myself holding onto that verse, which comes from Paul’s words to the early church in Thessalonica: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
We know there are blessings in bad situations, whether a mere headache or a truly devastating situation. When I look back at really tough periods in my life, I can easily see they are now woven into my faith testimony—how I learned to let go of My Way and cling to God’s. I’ve heard much the same from people who survived near-death experiences or major illness or trauma.
Bad times help us draw closer to God.
I think that’s what Paul meant when he wrote to the early church in Corinth, “Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).
Bad times help us develop a more Christ-like attitude—humility, faith, and trust in God’s will (“thy will be done”). They teach us things we wouldn’t know otherwise. They help us become patient. They can later help us to comfort others. And when we thank God for these situations, even when it feels ridiculous to do so, we’re acknowledging His sovereignty, His dominion, and His power.
And that is a beautiful thing.
Today’s topic, “thanking God for the bad,” is included in the free mini book I created to help people shrug off their worries and center themselves in the Lord. Called A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed, the book is FREE for anyone who signs up for my weekly blog. Learn more and get your copy here. (If you are already a blog subscriber but haven’t gotten your copy, just email me and I’ll send it to you.)
