God’s Heart Toward Us When Life Is Hard
October 17th, 2022 • by Keagan Hayden
I was in fifth grade when my world crumbled. November 2001 to May 2002 held—apart from my dog dying—my first real encounter with illness, death, and grief.
The night before Thanksgiving, my family and I stopped at my maternal grandparents’ home for dinner, where we received a call that my paternal grandfather, PaPa, was sick. That night he suffered an aneurysm and two strokes that landed him in the intensive care unit of the regional hospital for seven months. He spent one month in a coma, and then another two in a regular hospital room before he was released to go home.
That same weekend, a third cousin of mine, who was barely over three years old, died after an eighteen month long battle with blood cancer.
The January that followed, my dad began having back problems. We discovered he had a few herniated discs, which in the midst of moving into a new house and his father being in intensive care felt big. It was the first time I saw my hero show any weakness.
That May, my grandmother, Grandma Mickey, passed away after a routine bypass surgery. She was one of my favorite people on earth. Her funeral was the first time I remember seeing my mother cry. It was like her body couldn’t hold it together anymore, and the only way to relieve the pressure was through tears.
When God Feels Far
I have often wondered why so much was thrown at us in those months. I know, of course, the easiest—and even truest—explanation is that we simply live in a broken world. But in that series of months, God seemed far away to my family and me.
We found ourselves asking, “Why would God allow this? What is the point of this? Why us?” It felt like God’s heart toward us was punishment or spite or anything other than love.
At that young age, I didn’t have the answers, nor did I have the ability to articulate all I was thinking. But in the years since I have realized that in the moments that life is hard, God’s heart toward us is never hate or punishment or indifference. It is only love.
“In the moments that life is hard, God’s heart toward us is never hate or punishment or indifference. It is only love.”
God’s Heart Toward Us
Everything God does is because he loves us. Everything he allows is meant to draw us into deeper relationship with him. And he is always working to make us ready for eternity.
James 1:2-4 tells us to “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Anytime life is hard and we find ourselves asking God, “Why?,” there are two things we can know for sure about his heart toward us.
He is Preparing Us for Eternity
First, God is working to make us complete and ready for eternity with him. Nothing that satisfies fleshly desires can be part of our glorification. We are looking toward wholeness and things that are eternal rather than things that have a shelf-life.
The heart of the Father is that we would be made complete, ready for heaven. He allows hard things so that we might grow to look more like him. He allows us to make mistakes so that we see where we fall short, where we need refinement, what parts of us need to be sanctified. God loves us enough to not leave us as we are, but he also hates sin so much that he cannot exist with it. And because he cannot exist with it, we—as his children—need not remain familiar with anything that does not reflect who he is or who he has called us to be.
“The heart of the Father is that we would be made complete, ready for heaven.”
He Loves Us Deeply
Second, God loves us. Even when we run away, he is there to welcome us back with open arms regardless of how bumped and bruised we are. He’s big enough to handle the questions, the doubts, the cries, and the joys we encounter. He will meet us with loving kindness and discipline when we need it.
You see, God will never look at his children and say, “I told you so.” And he isn’t sitting up in heaven figuring out ways to make us miserable. He’s not thinking up torture tactics and seeing how he can smite us. That would be contrary to the heart of the Father, the character of our God.
Rather, in his wisdom, he’s moving heaven and earth to let us know that we are seen and loved regardless of how it feels. He is at work to find the best way to sanctify us and get rid of the junk that weighs us down.
The freedom that comes in knowing Christ isn’t just for eternity. It’s for right now. His desire for us is that our load is light. When life is heavy and hard, it is a call to release the weight of the world into the hands of the Savior. He’s waiting with a heart that is so tender toward us, always assuring us that we are loved.
Remember, God Loves His Children
God loves his kids. Sure, you know that in your head, but in your heart, sometimes it doesn’t feel like it. I promise, though, whether it feels like it or not, God loves his kids beyond anything our human minds can fathom.
So when life is hard, remember God is with you. He’s waiting with you, walking with you, and waging war against the enemy with you.
Additional Scripture passages: Job 1:21, Habakkuk 3:17-19, Psalm 73:25-26, Isaiah 43:2, 1 Peter 1:6-7
Keagan Hayden, Bible-teacher and author of "The Struggle is Real: Purpose in the Pain," is on a mission to equip women to find their identity in Christ and walk in freedom. Her heart is that women would know Jesus sees them and loves them, even when it feels like that's not true.
MORE FROM JOURNEYWOMEN
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen articles are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select writers each week, articles shared on the Journeywomen website do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the authors or any other resources mentioned.
